Child to Staff Ratios
Public Concern in the Childcare Sector:
Child to Staff Ratios
Public Concern in the Childcare Sector:
Child to Staff Ratios
At the end of 2012, it was announced that the Government were looking to relax their child to staff ratios for childcare in England. The reason for this is that they though it would make more available spaces for childcare, and lower costs for parents. Britain has some of the highest childcare costs in the world, with many mothers with two or more children saying it does not make financial sense to work.
Statutory ratios for carers per child vary depending on age and setting. Ratios for two-year-olds are set to rise from four children per adult to six children per adult, and for ones-and-under to rise from three children per adult to four children per adult.
The children’s minister says the changes would have brought the UK in line with countries such as France and Sweden. England's higher ratios lead to higher costs for parents and lower pay for staff, she says. The proposals were about raising standards and only those nurseries that hired staff with higher qualifications would be able to take on more children. It would no longer be acceptable that childcare professionals are not required to have a GCSE grade C or above in English and maths. However, this would apply to new nursery staff only.
This proposal caused a lot of concern with both parents and also early year’s practitioners such as childminders & nursery staff. They felt that the increase in children to staff ratio’s would jeopardise the quality of car and the safety of the children, especially in the case of fire evacuation, as one person cannot carry four babies. The staff member will be providing basic care needs and will not have the time to provide stimulating individual activities for children and safeguarding issues may be missed. Parents do not want an increase in the number of children nursery staff are allowed look after. They are worried it will have a
Child to Staff Ratios
Public Concern in the Childcare Sector:
Child to Staff Ratios
At the end of 2012, it was announced that the Government were looking to relax their child to staff ratios for childcare in England. The reason for this is that they though it would make more available spaces for childcare, and lower costs for parents. Britain has some of the highest childcare costs in the world, with many mothers with two or more children saying it does not make financial sense to work.
Statutory ratios for carers per child vary depending on age and setting. Ratios for two-year-olds are set to rise from four children per adult to six children per adult, and for ones-and-under to rise from three children per adult to four children per adult.
The children’s minister says the changes would have brought the UK in line with countries such as France and Sweden. England's higher ratios lead to higher costs for parents and lower pay for staff, she says. The proposals were about raising standards and only those nurseries that hired staff with higher qualifications would be able to take on more children. It would no longer be acceptable that childcare professionals are not required to have a GCSE grade C or above in English and maths. However, this would apply to new nursery staff only.
This proposal caused a lot of concern with both parents and also early year’s practitioners such as childminders & nursery staff. They felt that the increase in children to staff ratio’s would jeopardise the quality of car and the safety of the children, especially in the case of fire evacuation, as one person cannot carry four babies. The staff member will be providing basic care needs and will not have the time to provide stimulating individual activities for children and safeguarding issues may be missed. Parents do not want an increase in the number of children nursery staff are allowed look after. They are worried it will have a