Finding pre-school care for their children is a significant challenge for most parents. Finding high quality child care is often even harder. The availability, quality and cost of child care is a daily concern for parents and carers who wish to return to work, who want their children to learn to socialise and play with other children or who simply need a break from time to time to recharge their batteries. Last week’s announcement by childcare minister Elizabeth Truss about changes to statutory childcare regulations has sparked huge debate amongst politicians, parents and child care professionals, with critics claiming that the changes could endanger the quality of available care with no guarantee that costs would be reduced.
Perhaps the most controversial aspect of the announcement was the plan to increase the ratio of carers per children. From September this year the ratio for children up to and including one year old will rise from 1:3 to 1:4. For two year olds the ratio will rise from 1:4 to 1:6, while for three year olds and above the carer:child ratio will remain at 1:8 or 1:13 when a graduate (presumably with a relevant qualification) is present. While this change would appear to at the very least risk reducing the quality of care, Elizabeth Truss was keen to point out to the BBC that only nurseries that hired staff with higher qualifications would be able to take advantage of these relaxed ratios: "…it will make it higher quality, more available and more affordable. It will take time to recruit new people and expand nurseries. In the long term it will be more affordable.†Whether it will be possible to reduce costs to parents by increasing the carer:child ratios while hiring more expensive staff remains to be seen.
While demanding higher standards and better qualifications from people entering childcare professions is extremely laudable, a number of influential organisations have expressed doubts about the new proposals. Purnima Tanuku, Chief Executive of the National Day Nurseries Association was quoted on the BBC news website as saying that "quality of childcare and early education must not be sacrificed". She went on to cite the concerns of many parents who do not wish to see the amount of attention their children receive from childcare professionals reduced. Simply put, parents feel that an increase in the ratios will lead to their children receiving less attention and care during these very important formative years.
In an interesting and highly entertaining, but admittedly unscientific experiment, Guardian columnist and mother of two Zoe Williams test drove the new ratio by looking after 6 toddlers for one morning. The results were probably predictable to all parents and indeed anyone who has taken responsibility for a small group of children for the same period of time. Each child’s needs were different from the others; some needed very little attention while others needed constant attention and one (Zoe’s own daughter who she knew well enough not to worry about) received no attention at all. While Williams and her charges all survived the experiment, her conclusion was telling: “…this is, on mature consideration, and with no offence meant, the worst idea a person in government has ever had.†It should be noted that Zoe Williams is also in possession of the qualifications (GCSEs and degree) that will be required of new child care professionals when the proposals are put into practice.
We all want all children to receive high quality care in a safe and comfortable environment where they can learn and play with other children and interact with adults who have the knowledge, experience and skills to maximise their potential. Whether parents will be paying any less than the current average of 27% of their salaries on childcare in the future, only time will tell.
