The national trust recently released figures at the beginning of the month indicating less than one in ten children regularly play in wild places, that a third has never climbed a tree, and that one in ten cannot ride a bike.

There is also a resounding agreement amongst these experts that the lack of outside play areas, green spaces and the rapid increase in road traffic have all played a massive contributory factor. “A huge rise in car ownership and road traffic proved a big threat to children’s safety,” says Humphries. In fact a report from the Universities of London, Sheffield and East London, entitled Children’s Playground Games and Songs in the New Media Age, 2009-11 states “the evidence seems to be that street play has declined considerably” and that “sites for play over the last century have become increasingly urban, constrained, planned, regulated and overseen”.

Meanwhile children are also said to be feeling the strain.  Writing for IOL, Daniella Renzon says: “Their schedules are packed by parents who want to give their children every advantage in this competitive world.” She adds: “So much is squeezed into a rushed and demanding day that they are left with little or no time for simple, unstructured play.” The children are feeling an increase pressure through over scheduling accompanied with longer working hours and carer requirements to supervise child play, if the children are allowed to have unsupervised play the carer could face a number of issues and complaints.

Or is it all simply the case that many children have fallen under the spell of the explosion of gadgets and TV channels? Which has made staying indoors glued to a screen more appealing than venturing into the great outdoors. There are a number of statistics to support either argument on this front. Ultimately what are the consequences for those children not experiencing outdoor play? To this Prisk replies: “What happens when you’re stuck inside all day? How do you feel? Compare it to how you feel if you go outside to the park or outside to play. Kids need that joy. They need those memories on an everyday basis.”

This will mean that come August there will be no funding for people aged 25 or above, and they will be expected to pay for their qualifications themselves.

Learners aged 24 will be co funded on a level 2 or fully funded for a level 3, and all 19-23 year olds will be fully funded on a level 2 or 3.

We can still arrange funding and learning before these changes come into place. The remaining funding is on a first come first served basis so get your applications in quickly!

Email us at trainingsales@parenta.com

The revised Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) has been given a tentative welcome by the early year’s sector. This, in part, is due to the introduction of Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Physical Development and Communication and Language.

The early years sector will have to adhere to this framework as it will be mandatory from September, the aim is that it will unify and instigate change amongst practitioners to improve current practice. Practitioners will be the ones interpreting and putting into practice the EYFS, it aims to be flexible and malleable whilst encompassing most, if not all areas. This is why the revisions and response from the early year’s sector has been so influential.

Author and early years consultant Penny comments that “…the other reason I am happy with the EYFS overall is there is a clear requirement for providers to plan for individual children and what they plan must be “challenging and enjoyable”. That should put an end to activities that are not stimulating but boring or not age appropriate. I am delighted to see that…”

So why is the welcome tentative? In short, there are still a range of issues that the early year’s sector feels hasen’t been thrashed out, issues like clarity over wording and the legal requirement of some words and context. There is also an issue that despite attempting to reduce paper work the EYFS may in fact increase or maintain the already high level, this falls mainly down to report keeping and whether government will allow practitioners to keep records in their own way or rather that they will have to follow local authority or Ofsted guidelines.

There is also concern that the reduction in early learning goals (EGLS) may not have actually reduced the content, or are even a good idea in themselves. The early years sector also raised questions over the focus of learning, be it through books, or on science etc. Even down to the gender bias of the document – does it fairly reflect both a boys and a girls interests. There are even questions about geographical location bias, has the EYFS been written to accommodate both the urban and country based children.

Finally, the inclusion of a two year old check to spot children that may require additional support is viewed as extremely important by the early year’s sector, but again a call to clarify the guidelines for how the children should be assessed or how their development should be tracked. This could mean an additional pressure for ALL children to be achieving certain levels, whilst not taking into account each child’s individual needs, actual age or health. All of which gear up to the EYFS requirement of school readiness and a more formalised learning (which is disputed and supported through a number of statistics – without any definitive answer of whether formality of learning actually achieves results). This in turn may mean that the practitioner becomes driven by targets and could lose focus on the child as an individual. Are physical requirements such as walking or talking formalised? Or mainly based on a child’s individual development, could this be applied to things such as numeracy or literacy in the educational sense?

So this tentative welcome is, in summing up, welcomed as the early years sector want a clarified structure and guidelines which they can interpret and use to enable the best care for the child possible, and in theory the current EYFS seems to tick these boxes.

According to a new report by the National Audit Office, the Department of Education have succeeded in sustaining a 95 percent take up of three to four years olds in free childcare places since 2008. This level has been sustained despite an 8 percent increase in the eligible children for these places.

This positive news is slightly marred by the fact that there is a wide difference between take up, and to actual access to quality childcare. This access versus quality of provision seems to be hinging on geographical location in the UK. The report goes on to highlight that areas of high deprivation are less likely to be able to offer high quality childcare and that the take up of children from the most disadvantaged areas is lower than national take up. This gap needs to be addressed if we as a nation are to see real value for money later on.

Amyas Morse, Head of the National Audit Office, commented on the need for this to be bridged to ensure that an actual impact is made.

“Both of these are necessary if it is to get the best return for children from the £1.9 billion spent each year.”

This investment in early year’s childcare will not only save money later on, but arguably and more importantly, will have a high beneficial impact for the children. We can see this proof through the Sure Start Scheme and consequently the Sure Start Generation. The 2008 Study commented that three years olds with access to children’s centres in their area had better social development, more positive parenting, higher immunisation records and fewer injuries. All of which compound to a more socially aware and well adjusted generation.

Sarah Teather, the Children’s Minister commented that

“ The earliest years of a child’s life are crucial to later development, which is why the coalition government is determined to invest heavily in this area….We are offering more 2 years olds from disadvantaged areas to attend nursery school because a huge amount of evidence clearly shows that these children will benefit most from early education… We are determined to improve the availability of quality places in disadvantaged areas, and offering free early education to around 40 percent of two years olds will help by bringing even more money into the system”

Do you feel that this is a true reflection of the state of Early Years childcare in the UK currently? Is there a true correlation between areas of high deprivation and poor quality healthcare. Let us know what you think and how this can be addressed.

This week deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg promised to tackle the “ticking time bomb” of teenagers who are not in work, school or training. He announced a 125m scheme to get at least 55,000 young people aged between 16 and 17 years old, without GCSE’s, back into education or employment. This came after a recent release of the latest unemployment figures that showed the numbers of 16-24 year olds not in work increases by 22,000 to 1.04 million in the three months to December.

This scheme which is part of the Youth Contract, will invite businesses and charities to bid for contracts worth up to £2,200 (which will be the weekly equivalent of a jobseekers payment to the young person per week ) per 16- 17 year old who can be sustained in work, education or training for 12 months. These contracts will be paid in staggered payments to ensure at least 12 months of retention. Those who win these contracts will have a free range as to how they decide their approach. With the emphasis being on a successful outcome.

The Department of Education went on to bolster the deputy Pm’s opinion that it was important for this section of society to be engaged in meaningful activity as by the age of 42, someone who has been frequently unemployed as a teenager is likely to earn 12% – 15% less than their peers.

Speaking on Sky News, Mr Clegg said: “I think it is incredibly important that, at that very vital moment in someone’s life, when they are in their teens, that they don’t lose the ambition and the hope and the optimism about working.
“Because once that is lost, all the evidence is that it has a long-term scarring effect and makes it very difficult for youngsters to move into stable employment as adults.”

This new initiative is separate to the recently criticised workfare.

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"The impact on my business of Fee Planner has been fantastic and allowed me to focus my energy on the more important aspects of running the nursery."

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Carlton Day Nursery Ltd.

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"From day 1, we explain to parents how any difficult situations will be handled and work with them throughout any that may arise so that the trust is always there."

Last week, ‘Nursery Manager of the Year’ Mikki Parkes, talked about the importance of creating the right balance as a nursery manager. Today she offers her expert opinion on how to successfully communicate with parents and maintain a positive workforce.

Working at Auden Place Nursery in Camden, Mikki and her team support families in the local area by providing a diverse and inclusive environment that stimulates, nurtures and supports the young generation.

Mikki believes that working with parents is key to this success, and this was clearly demonstrated when Auden Place Community Nursery won the ‘Working with Parents’ award and received highly commended in ‘Team Development’.

“Working with parents is something I feel really strongly about. If you can have parents on board, the children’s nursery life will be much more meaningful and productive. My office is based at the front reception and my door is always open. I always like to be available for parents and I make sure they know this.”

First impressions count, so staff should be prepared to spare extra time when showing parents around the nursery. Being open and friendly is more likely to create a true reflection of your nursery and make parents feel at ease leaving their child in your care.

“When dealing with parents for the first time, always be friendly and open, sharing as much as you can without overload. Expectant mums are not yet interested in how you prepare the 3 year olds for their transition to school.

“Allow the parents time to get to know you. I never rush when showing prospective parents around. I allow them to sit in the room with the staff and the children to get the feel of it. Seeing how happy and confident the children are and how staff interact with them has more of an impact on new parents than policies and procedures, although sharing these are also important.

“When children start with us, the week before we settle them in, we have a free of charge ‘Parent Week’ to settle in the parents. For this week, parents get to spend a couple of hours each day in the room with their child getting to know the staff and the routine. This really gives them the confidence in us as a nursery.”

“When things go wrong”

Every nursery receives complaints from parents, but Mikki believes it is how you deal with these complaints that influence your ongoing relationships.

“Luckily we don’t have too many complaints! When you do get a complaint, you need to ensure that you take on board what the complaint is. Always listen and never interrupt or become defensive.

“Most complaints are usually simple ones that can be resolved quickly. I always let the parents know that I will find out the situation and get back to them rather than deal with it immediately. This means I get all the facts, and also gives the parent time to calm down. I get back to the parent as quick as possible and always thank them for bringing something to my attention so that it can be resolved.

“If parents are not happy with your response, then be transparent on what the next steps are. I would give them the email address of the Chair on the Management Comittee plus our Ofsted registration number and their telephone number.”

Strong teams

Mikki also puts the same amount of effort into keeping staff happy. Her popularity amongst her team is clearly demonstrated by their choice to nominate her for ‘Nursery Manager of the Year’.

“When I went on holiday in June, my Management Committee approached my staff team and all agreed to nominate me for ‘Nursery Manager of the Year’. They wanted to thank me for my hard work over the past 6 six years.”

Managers need respect from their staff and to possess a good level of trust for staff to carry out everyday duties. Maintaining high morale is essential if a nursery is to perform well and maintain a low staff turnover.

Download Mikki Parkes’ tips on how to keep staff morale high in the nursery

"By having such transparent and trusting relationships with all my staff and parents, when we have had sensitive child issues, everyone has felt confident in approaching me for support."

“Your team are the most valuable resource you have and you should treat them as such. Although the industry is renowned for high turnover (average of 2 years), in the 6 years that I have been managing Auden Place, I have managed to secure a loyal and committed staff team, with an average of 4 years’ service. “

Having a good, working relationship with staff and parents helps resolve subjects such as sensitive child issues quickly and efficiently, without staff or parents feeling like they can’t approach the nursery.

“By having such transparent and trusting relationships with all my staff and parents, when we have had sensitive child issues, everyone has felt confident in approaching me for support. All staff receive Safeguarding training during the first term of working with us, and refresher training every 3 years. In our monthly staff meeting, we discuss different scenarios and how to deal with them, so that that staff are not scared if anything comes up in reality.

“From day 1, we explain to parents how any difficult situations will be handled and work with them throughout any that may arise so that the trust is always there.”

Future aspirations

Mikki hopes that Auden Place can sustain the success already achieved in such a short space of time and maybe even collect another award in 2012!

“We are starting an accredited quality assurance scheme in 2012. I also have 6 staff wishing to start their NVQ5 in childcare. And you never know, maybe ‘Nursery of the Year’ in 2012!?”

Download Mikki Parkes’ tips on how to keep staff morale high in the nursery

Part 1: Finding the right balance

Running a successful nursery demands hard-work, flexibility and commitment. In an industry suppressed by funding restrictions, demanding parents and ever-changing policies and legislation, managing a nursery brings new challenges every day.

We spoke with Nursery World Awards ‘Nursery Manager of the Year’, Mikki Parkes, to produce a two-part series that reveals exactly what is required to become a successful nursery manager.

Mikki is the enthusiastic and passionate manager of Auden Place Community Nursery in Camden, described by parents as a manager who ‘is always prepared to go that extra mile to improve and develop the care for kids, parents and staff.’

Since taking over the nursery six years ago, Mikki has significantly influenced the growth of the business, revamping the setting, and expanding from 15 to 40 places. However, the aim always remains the same; to support all families from Camden by providing high quality childcare at affordable prices.

Like all managers in the early years sector, Mikki’s has to juggle many aspects of the business, but her primary focus is always on the children and helping them reach their full potential.

“To run a successful nursery, you need to be extremely flexible, hard-working and committed to the nursery. You need to be aware of the needs of your market and be proactive in meeting those needs.

“Managing a nursery is different to managing in any other industry, because as well as managing budgets, staff etc, you also have the huge responsibility of having the welfare of the children at the forefront of any decision you make.”

As a not-for-profit organisation, Auden Place does not enjoy the certainty of council funding, nevertheless, Mikki has driven the nursery to financial security. When she took over the nursery in 2005, it was forecasting £30k losses and facing closure. Within four months, Mikki managed to reduce the actual loss by 50% and keep the nursery open.

Her ‘extra mile’ attitude is clearly demonstrated by her research into identifying funding routes for families. Her findings, including New Deal for Lone Parents and Childcare Support Fund, enabled families to access funding, thereby benefitting families that would never have been able to access the nursery otherwise.

Organisation and adaptability is key. Mikki is often required to quickly switch roles to prioritise between tasks around the nursery. Managing a nursery goes beyond the mountains of paperwork; it requires determination and a willingness to adapt to multiple situations.

“You must be willing to put aside your ‘to do’ list and deal with the here and now of the day, still being aware that your list will still need to be done. You have to step into the role of cleaner, cook, handyman, councillor and accountant at the drop of a hat.

“The key to being a good manager is being able to adapt to every situation, ask for support when you need it, take on board constructive criticism and learn from your mistakes.”

Managers also need to have the desire to keep up-to-date with the latest policies and the EYFS and Mikki believes every manager should use resources available to them to benefit their nursery.

“It is important to have regular training. Either myself or one of my two managers attend any forums or workshops organised by the borough, and maintain a strong relationship with the Early years team.

“We receive regular magazines such as Nursery World, Nursery Management Today and are affiliated with associations such as Pre-School Learning Alliance and National Day Nursery Association. The Ofsted and Department for Education are great websites to keep you updated.” Can we get Parenta’s newsletters in there?

Staff often see their nursery manager as a role model, therefore it is important to set a good example. Within a versatile role, the managerial responsibility can range from helping staff out during busy times, to preparing monthly invoices to send out to parents.

“Getting the balance right between the day-to-day care of the children and administration is vital. I remember being a deputy manager with a manager who was great at this. They would regularly come out of the office to help with nappies and lunch breaks etc and I always wanted to be this manager.

“I am always popping in to say hello to all the staff and children, giving them support when needed. We have two managers, both who share my vision, overseeing a room each to support the team. I always make myself available to speak with my staff everyday about what is going on and if they need anything.”

In the second part of our ‘What makes an award-winning nursery manager?’ series, Mikki talks about the importance of maintaining an excellent relationship with both your staff and parents, and working together to reach the nursery’s goals.

Do you have a question you would like to ask Mikki? Are you a manager looking for ideas, or a practitioner striving for promotion? Drop your questions to Mikki below so that we can forward them to her.

A lack of funds can restrict managers from offering pay rises or investing in staff training, yet the Government continues to strive towards an early years workforce trained to a minimum of Level 3 by 2015. With the majority of the workforce driven by a vocational passion rather than financial gain, is this changing the way you manage your team?

Has it become hard to finance staff training or are you still accessing funding? Do you have difficulty retaining staff due to not being able to offer pay rises or promotions?

Have you found productive methods that keep staff in your setting happy? Do you organise regular meetings\out-of-work social events to maintain good team morale and receive feedback from staff?

Join the discussion by leaving your comments below.