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Nurseries

quality care for young children DOES NOT exist in SOME private setting

70 replies

kiow8 · 29/05/2009 15:52

i have worked in various types of childrens settings(both private and Sure Start)i believe that Sure Start settings are good places for children to be as the staff do genuinely care for the children, they are given healthy meals made with good ingredients and staff are much, much happierthan private nursery staff(better pay,work conditions,ratios in place more etc)

private settings are entirely different.as i have worked in them i have seen what goes on behind the scenes, i believe that i can give parents an idea of what does happen at private setings.

please note that i am not talking about any private settings in particular, just what i ahve seen in different private settings that seems to be an all over thing-
1.young babies who cannot move being left in
bouncy chairs all day, except for sleep,feeding and nappy changes. staff are often told not to pick up the baby for fear of "spoiling them" and having them liking attention too much.
2.young babies who cry are often called"spoilt"
3.lots of bitching about childrens families.one mother(whos baby was a rather small and dainty 6 month old)was accused of "trying to keep the baby small"by not feeding her meat and bread like the OLDER babies,when infact this baby ate well and has family members who are gluten sensitive.
4.a carer smack the back of a young childs hand.
5.frequent use of the word "naughty".
6.really rubbish food-cheap sausages and fish fingers,over indulgence in chips and white pasta, tinned fruit, powedered custard and sponge cake that is bought in in tubs and heated in the kitchen,yoghurts that are supermarket basic, full of sugar and cost 7p
each.
7.a soil area at the back of the setting that the children like to play with toy cars and other toys in.this area does not have a lid and i have seen cats jumping in and out of here.
8.one setting has radiators that are covered with BLANKETS to "protect" children from burns.
9.toilets frequently get smelly and dirty during the day.they are cleaned at the end of the day but staff do not keep on top of them during the day, so children often have to use dirty toilets.
10.children who have had toileting accidents left in wet underwear as staff do not want to change them.
11. too many children in the setting.one setting was registered for 15 children but would take up to 20 on any one day, also instead of the legal 1:3 adult to baby carer, this setting used 1:4 for babies.

these are just some of the things that i have seen in various childrens settings and just thought i would mention them here.

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Tanith · 29/05/2009 18:58

Why do some people think that the way to respond to these threads is to take a swipe at childminders?
Don't you realise you're exactly what you complain the OP is doing?

FWIW, the OP is perfectly right. Only I'd remove the Private qualifier since I'm in a position to know that Surestart doesn't automatically guarantee quality, just nice shiny wooden play furniture!
"Quality care for children doesn't exist in some settings." That's hardly news, is it?

Quality care for children DOES exist in MOST settings. That's borne out by OFSTED inspections and parents' experiences.