Sizzling Hot

As I sit on my balcony in Athens feeling the glorious sunshine here, I receive numerous texts from UK Twitter about the continuous proposals and changes to how services for children and families through the early years are being supported and offered.

Its seems that the climate is not the only cause of raising temperatures !

New qualifications, funding, organisation, testing, formality, cries for humanity, equality, justice, creativity and play. 

Presenting wisely during these Sizzling times can be extremely challenging. 

I always enjoy reading Julian Grenier's blog on these matters. 

When I return to the UK at the end of October to resume my work in Education I wonder what I will find there. 

What is certain for me is that no matter what the changes are, I will continue to lead workshops and programmes that speak to the heart of humanity. Raising standards aimed at children reaching their full potential, strengthening families and communities. 

If you would like to know more see www.tracyseedassociates.co.uk

Here in Greece I'm working with those who come to rest, to recuperate, to reflect, to contemplate;  joining people in reconsidering their life styles, their values and perceptions about what really matters. If you would like to know more see www.tracyseedcoaching.com

Here are some extra tips for reducing the Sizzling.
Most of these were taken from a social network posting that my friend and colleague Karl Smerecnick made, concerning how to  cope with the heat. 

Tips on keeping cool

• Wet down your hair (especially at night). 
• Wear a wet shirt and turn a fan on yourself. 
• Wear hats outside (and sunblock!)
• Drink plenty of water. 
• Make slush puppies
• Wear a cold washcloth around you neck. 
• For quick relief use an ice rag to the the bottom of the soles of your feet, this helps the core temperature and the heat drop quickly and heat.
• Drink cool water infused with cucumber
• Drink cool water infused with mint and lemon
• Eat cooling foods such as cucumber, yoghurt, most berries, sweet fruits, sushi, seaweed salad!
• Run cold water over your wrists and the back of your neck 
• Finish every shower with freezing water. 
• Have a little siesta. 
• Breathe slowly
• Walk in the woods
• Visit the sea
• Wear a bandana doused in peppermint oil...if its dry heat, keep the bandana wet because it evaporates.
• Wear cotton clothes allowing your skin to breathe. 

I hope you enjoyed reading, feel free to add on the comments section

Tracyx

More Great Childcare - Collaboration, Networks, Support

In the early years sector it has taken years to build networks and support systems that work together and target the training needs of the providers. Relationships between advisors, officers and settings in many authorities are working positively, even collaboratively with some settings, towards improvement. 

I have been involved in helping to forge these relationships in some boroughs and we have undertaken some fantastic transformational work and seen amazing improvements. Forward thinking authorities know that collaboration is about co-creation. Its the function of genuine communication. 

"In the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed. " Charles Darwin 

There is more work to be done in this arena, settings working together to evolve practice and projects, to support each other with staff with training.  Every child matters and we want the very best for our children and families. Networks, training days and programmes specifically designed with care and consideration to support settings is all coordinated by the early years department in local authorities. 

The proposals in "More Great Childcare" are suggesting that the local authorities should not continue its quality assurance, support and training role any more . Instead, it suggests making Ofsted the sole arbiter. This could have a huge impact on the quality of provision in the sector.  

I'm wondering what your thoughts are about this, will you share ?

More Great Child Care - wisdom is not at the top of the graduate mountain!

All I Ever Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten

Most of what I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be, I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate mountain, but there in the sandbox at nursery school.  

There are the things I learned: Share everything. Play fair. Don't hit people. Put things back where you found them. Clean up your own mess. Don't take things that aren't yours. Say sorry when you hurt somebody. Wash your hands before you flush. Warm cookies and cold mild are good for you. Live a balanced life. Learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work everyday some.
Take a nap in the afternoon.

When you go out into the world,  watch the traffic, hold hands and stick together. Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the plastic cup. The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that. Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the plastic cup - they all die. So do we. And then remember about Dick and Jane and the first word you leaned, the biggest word of all: LOOK.

Everything you need to know is in there some where.  The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and sane living. Think of what a better world it would be if we all - the whole world - had cookies and milk about 3.00 O'clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankets for  a nap. Or if we had a basic policy in our nations to always put things back where we found them and clean up our own messes. And it is still true, no matter how old you are when you go out into the world, its better to hold hands and stick together.

Robert Fulhum

Liz Truss on ratios and qualifications - Respond to the Consultation Now

There is so much frustration, unrest and annoyance being expressed by people concerned with caring for children in the early years sector. Julian has summarised the situation extremely coherently and offers clear evidence to explain why Liz Truss and others must think again!

Inside the secret garden: Liz Truss on ratios and qualifications - an ill-considered announcement

Like Julian and many others I too have concern over the proposals to increase the number of children to staff. This proposal shows little understanding of what children need during this most important phase of life.  Children's emotional well being and safety is most important and also to have staff that are able to nurture the foundational threads of learning across all areas of intelligence is during the early years. Quality interaction must not be compromised!

In my opinion changing the ratios is not going to achieve the desired outcome which is to improve quality, to increase salaries and attract high calibre well qualified staff. No matter what the qualification is if there are 12 children aged 2 with only 2 staff and one member of staff needs to leave the room - its not easy for one person to cater for the needs of 12 children and to keep them safe! 

Another concern I have is the suggestion that Local Authorities are duplicating the role of Ofsted. My experience of working with local authorities is that they have a direct influence on quality and have worked hard in many boroughs to establish trusted relationships with providers to support them to improve their leadership of the settings and EYFS implementation. Settings appreciate the training, support and consultation that they receive. Ofsted will not be able to do this.
There is a consulation on the DFE website seeking your views on how these arrangments could work more effectively. I have responded - Have you?

http://www.education.gov.uk/a00220966/early-educ-childcare-staff-deploy


June O'Sullivans blog on her visit to France is interesting reading on this subject too!

http://juneosullivan.wordpress.com/2013/02/18/a-happy-valentines-date-in-paris-with-french-nurseries/

What lies ahead

Response to articles in Nursery World :
Analysis: Providers wait for mists to clear on early years landscape http://bit.ly/aDCQ2WMary Evans, 02 June 2010, 00:00am
What lies ahead for the day nursery market - fee rises, wage freezes, sustainability problems under the free entitlement? In the light of a definitive report, Mary Evans asks providers for their views.
Pledge to extend free entitlement for nursery education to 15 hours is upheld http://bit.ly/aWrrBkMelanie Defries, 07 June 2010, 5:22pm

The extension to the free entitlement to 15 hours per week is to go ahead from September as planned, education Secretary Michael Gove has confirmed in a letter to his predecessor and shadow education secretary Ed Balls.

My thoughts in response to these articles are that early years has always faced an uncertain future and at the same time it seems certain. This is because the early years workforce is so committed to providing the best care and education for our youngest children. They are motivated to work inspite of the long hours and low pay because they know that their work has a substantial impact on young children lives. They affect the quality of their lives, their motivation and potential for learning and the contribution they will make as future UK/European citizens.
Our workforce is outstanding in their enthusiasm and determination, they study to keep ahead of new developments and to develop themselves personally and professionally. As I train around the country I hear the stress that so many practitiners are under and their frustrations and at the same time the fact that they provide the best quality experiences they can when budgets for resources are low, staff absences and turnover is high and the proportion of inexperienced staff working in the setting is difficult to manage.
I am happy to read that the Graduate Leaders Fund (GLF) has not been cut and although I am sad to read that the Department for Children, Schools and Families no longer exists it seems (I hope!) that much of their work will be continued through the Department of Education.

In these uncertain times we need leaders who can inspire and persist through challenges and who work collaboratively with their teams and we need practitioners who understand how children develop and learn and to ensure the most effective active learning experiences and affective relationships are provided. Funding training to support our children's workforce is essential. I have seen how the EYP pathways and the Graduate Leader Funds have made a real difference; standards have been raised and some stresses reduced due to practitioners developing new skills and through gaining new knowledge and understanding.

However, the sector even with the funding that exists is still so undervalued. The article above quotes that the UK 'funding is £30 billion on secondary education, £23.5 billion on higher education and just £4.5 billion on early years.' The UK still doesn’t seem to recognise just how important early childhood education is. Many of our European partners for example: Sweden, France, Denmark, Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia, Italy and Noway invest much more in their services for early years than we do. The sector still relies heavily on parents paying the biggest potion of the budget and relies on the “for profit sector “ to provide the highest proportion of services.

Early years education is so important. It is a service to the public. It can lay the foundation for future learning, foster a love of learning in children and can engage families and impact community values far more than any other phase of education has the potential to do.

The sector needs investment now maybe more than ever, because during these uncertain times the early early years sector can have a major influence on future society and as I write this I hear myself saying that at least I have witnessed that progress has been made. I opened my first nursery during 1985 took up a post as managing director of a chain throughout the 1990’s and during this time there has been progress, even through economic crisis. Funding for places and training for practitoners has increased. Legislation has put play at the centre of provision and has also made some key committments to provide quality.


To conclude, my thoughts are after this reflection that although times seem uncertain right now I feel sure that the mist will clear and as long as we in the early years sector HAVE A STRONG VOICE progress will continue.

I wonder what your thoughts are.