STAFF shortages in nurseries, which have led to a lack of places, need to be addressed ‘immediately’, the head of a body representing the early years sector has said.
The comments from Belinda Lewis, chair of the Jersey Early Years Association, come as the Assistant Children’s Minister announced that grants of up to £1,200 will be on offer to those wishing to register as a childminder. The move aims to help address the current shortage of childcare places for children under three.
Mrs Lewis said that her organisation ‘supports any move to get quality care for early years children’ but that it ‘would like to see grants available to support suitable mature people who want to change career and move into working with children in day nurseries and pre-schools’.
She explained that labour and cost-of-living hikes were piling pressure on the sector, adding that ‘parents are feeling this now and need help, but it’s not forthcoming’.
Assistant Children’s Minister Louise Doublet recently published an evidence paper which focused on messages for Jersey from the UK and other jurisdictions on optimising early years education.
Authored by Isos Partnership at a cost of £15,675, the government said the paper would ‘help inform long-term strategic thinking about the direction of early education and childcare in Jersey, and ensure that short-term decisions and policies are consistent with this vision’.
Deputy Doublet said she was ‘working closely with officers to review the early years system as a whole and ensure that families have access to a range of support services alongside high-quality childcare provision’.
Mrs Lewis agreed that the initial Isos report had ‘done exactly what it needed to do, which is look at the early years’ strategies of other countries and local authorities and report back with some recommendations’.
She continued: ‘Northern Europe is always heralded as the best in childcare – but it’s tiring to hear that because we are not northern Europe, we’re a completely different country, and we are completely different to many parts of England too. To cast the net that far afield is a complete waste of time.’
She added: ‘It’s wonderful to say, “Look at how good it’s going in Newcastle,” but why would it go as well here?
‘This was the first step of the government’s long-term look at our strategy and now starts the hard work. What we must do as an island is to think about what we want.
‘It’s very important that the strategy is what the community needs. It’s that the plan must fit the community – not the community fit the plan.
‘What needs to be addressed immediately is staff shortages,’ she said, noting that a lack of nursery places meant parents had to put their child’s name down before it was born.
Last month, the JEYA sent a letter to parents stating that it had come to the ‘end of the road’ in negotiations over funding for the sector, as parents reported increasing fees, wages failing to keep up with childcare costs, and having to cut back on work hours – and salaries – to cope.
