Post date: Sep 11, 2012 9:48:25 AM
There has recently been a debate concerning the costs of childcare, but with the average childminder earning an income of only £11,000 per year how do the government intend to assure quality provision?
The government has discussed increasing ratios, so that childminders can care for up to 5 children under 5 years old rather than 3, as well as talks of deregulation. I agree that something needs to be done, however not at the cost of reducing quality and putting the safety of children at risk.
It must be remembered that Childminders charge far less than the minimum wage per child that they look after – it shouldn’t matter to anyone whether a childminder looks after one child or five children, should it? Childminders do a lot of work concerning each child even when they are not in our care. We do the planning for the activities, the paperwork for Ofsted, the Learning Journies (Diaries), the food shopping, the food preparation, the cooking, the setting up of our play/learning areas and the tidying up at the end of the day.
If you would like to read more about the issues relating to the costs of childcare, follow this link http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18141076