AnonyMouse_3139 Posted October 25, 2011 Posted October 25, 2011 (edited) Marvelous Actually, I'm going to be less defeatist than that. We've struggled for years without proper funding, this will just be one more time when we are on our own with Government looking the other way, no big deal, I'm sure we've all got the T shirt. I find the harder the times the more inventive and creative people in early years become Edited October 25, 2011 by Rea
AnonyMouse_21338 Posted October 25, 2011 Posted October 25, 2011 Marvellous.....but where else can they cut ??? In my LA the funding rate has been cut to £3.25ph , training has all been 'centralised' ( ie the staff have to travel for miles and miles to attend) everything has gone paper free -(ie all gets emailed thru meaning i have to spend the extra time downloading and printing). We have the wonderful commitee on our backs telling us to cut back on our hours - one member of staff worked out she had actually worked over 24 hours last month for nothing.
AnonyMouse_3139 Posted October 25, 2011 Posted October 25, 2011 Unfortunately staff wages is the only place I can make savings. Years ago we all agree to volunteer a couple of hours a week to help out but the hours were recorded and we were given the money owed when we hit better times.
Guest Posted October 25, 2011 Posted October 25, 2011 Cuts are only about to come in, we are all seeing reduction in courses etc etc, lots of our children are only starting when the grant starts and we are seeing lots of children with huge delay who have not had engagement with HV or Childrens Centres - with only three terms to be with a child and begin multi agency working so little time to support them in "school readiness" as per the EYFS recomendations (not mine). What are your thoughts have you all seen children starting later at pre-school with delay who have seem to have gone through the loop?
Guest Posted October 25, 2011 Posted October 25, 2011 Dot I agree with you, cutbacks in health visitors combined with later entry to preschool means that my early year staff have to evaluate new children quicker to enable an adequete time frame to be put in place to prepare them for school and the schools to prepare for them. A lot of my working week consists of liaising between staff, SENCO's, speech and language, foundations stage advisors, ed psych, physios, parents and schools. Not only do we have a shortened time to work with parents to enable children with additional needs reach their potential but in our county parents don't have confirmation of which school children have been allocated until April which leaves a ridiculously short time to prepare for transition
AnonyMouse_2418 Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 It is frustrating that we in Early years seem to be getting hit hard again, but we sort of knew it would happen under a new Government. It has been good financially under Labour, and they were very generous, which possibly made us a bit complacent! So now we have to re-tighten the belts, look at ways to make savings ( as others have said it will be salaries, and things like training) and continue to provide the A1 service we always have. Thats what the Government are counting on really, they know that as dedicated people who want the best for children in our care we will do this, even if it does mean that we have to give our time and effort for little financial reward, because thats what we do. As I say to my team, 'it's hard to get cash rich when you work in childcare, but thats not the reason why we do it, the benefits really do outweight the hardships'
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