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future local authority training, childminder agencies & costs


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http://www.athomechildcare.co.uk/index.php/support-for-childminders/how-much-does-it-cost

 

Hi, I know each local authority seems to vary in the training available and how much they charge for this. I've always been lucky and received good support. Now this is changing I was fascinated by the (hopefully) attached document.

 

Also, in the past all early year providers in our area have accessed the same training. I've worked as a teacher, nursery manager and childminder and always found this useful for networking and sharing experiences. Under childminding agencies does this mean nurseries and preschools will access different training to childminders, splitting up an early years sector that under the Eyfs recognised the importance of all settings?

 

I'm curious to know how much others are prepared to pay for professional development training and how far you usually travel to attend.

 

Thank you for sharing your thoughts x

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I've not read the article but I have noticed that the training is costing more - the price seems to have doubled! It used to be £10 for a day course but it has gone up to £20 minimum per day - some are £30. I know this doesn't seem a lot - and for one or two people it's not but for instance one of my staff has just booked on to the 2 day 1st aid course which is costing £40, plus her pay which is £5 per hour for training so in total we are paying out £100 just to get one member of staff trained - we have 10 members in all. Bearing in mind that everyone has to do 4 days training and the senco's have to do 7 (there are 2 of us) theoretically the training cost alone will be almost £1,000 - that is when paying the minimum fee. Plus the wages amounting to approx £1,500 - that is £2,500 each year that we will have to find which for a small village non profit making pre-school is a heck of a lot of money.......

 

I know I shouldn't moan because in actual fact the training is put on "cheaply" but to comply with lea rules for the amount of days training stipulated it could actually be the difference between staying viable - and not......

 

With regards to travelling, the courses that are put on in our area are generally at a training centre which takes about 45 minutes to drive to.

 

I have also found some of the training invaluable - not because of the topic but because of the networking that has gone on between myself and other professionals in the sector so it would be a real shame to seperate the different settings - but on the other hand I have found that when I was a child minder some of the training I attended with nurseries wasn't actually all that significant to me......

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So is this an 'agency' as per More Great Childcare? Personally, I'm happy to cover the cost of training myself - claim it as a business expense which keeps me out of the tax-paying bracket while gaining a degree. My last first aid was £70 and the council allow us to use on-line learning/assessment for free for safe-guarding and there's a whole host of training on there. For preference I'll be choosing Pacey on-line to provide training - looks very reasonable. I notice that Pre-school Learning Alliance are also providing lots of training for members.

 

I would avoiding using the sort of agency you have posted. I don't know who owns them, and I want the professional body that represent me in other ways to provide training for me.

 

I am increasingly of the opinion that More Great Childcare is designed to feather the nest of sticky fingered politicians. If I had the resources I'd find out who owns these new agencies.

 

Honey

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Thank you for your replies. I've currently no intention of joining an agency. I was curious whether their prices were standard as £50 per month to access training and support seemed a lot to me, but i didn't know how much training should cost and if I'm having to pay for it I will need to possibly be a bit more selective in which training I attend, so I can still access good, relevant training , maybe online is the way forward but I'd miss the interaction with others.

 

Honey, I'm not really sure more great childcare is great for childcare :)

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Safeguarding, 1st Aid, Health & Safety etc are free -although ive not had our new training directory yet, so I'm hoping they still are

 

Anything to do with the education side, Letters & Sounds, Schemas, Maths etc were free up until about 18months ago and slowly, slowly courses started to get a charge, it is now anything from £35 for 3hour course upto £85 for a full day, management courses are in the £100's - there is no way we can afford these costs :(

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I would avoiding using the sort of agency you have posted. I don't know who owns them, and I want the professional body that represent me in other ways to provide training for me.

 

This is a really good point, Honey. I'm not a childminder but when I had my nursery a big part of my decision about whether to send people on training courses or workshops would be the level of respect I have for the trainer. As a trainer/teacher myself, I think it is really important to have credibility and authority in the classroom. If your learners don't respect your knowledge, they probably won't listen to your message.

 

Choose wisely folks! :1b

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