Just had a quick look at forum site – but of course I can not access it as not a EYP (My LA does provide access for their EYP’s) .

Hello Kathy

As you are aware I have recently raised the question about the effectiveness of EYP’s (and thank you I have read some but not all of the documents that you sent me)

It certainly sounds as though you have a very effective network in Cheshire and by meeting together are sharing good practice and ideas across settings, which I think it brilliant.

My specific concerns relates to the childminder EYP’s as in my experience they have more difficulties in fulfilling the remit of an EYP.

First they often work alone so no direct colleagues within their setting – and yes of course they will be implementing within their own setting – but I would argue that any ‘outstanding’ childminder should be reflecting on practice, researching ideas and keeping up to date with current thinking (and considering if agree with current thinking!) because this is all part of what ‘makes’ an outstanding provider.

Secondly due to the hours worked it is often difficult if not impossible for childminder EYP’s to meet with other EYP’s in the way you describe and even if could do in the evening / weekend would be difficultto arrange with everyone having such busy lives. Add to this the small number of childminder EYP’s and you have a lot barriers to overcome for childminder EYP’s to engage in the type of excellent practice offered via the Cheshire network.

However these barriers can be overcome – email newsletters and blogs being just two possible suggestions both between EYP’s and to the wider childminding community.

Of course this may be happening – but as someone who tries to keep abreast of ‘all things childminding’ I have yet to read either a newsletter or a blog that has identified that that the author is an EYP and using this means to share good practice. Maybe it is a case of not stating the obvious – but certainly within my local area (where there are at least 2 childminder EYP’s) I have no knowledge of the childminder EYP’s helping to inform or lead practice within the childminding community or indeed of other sector EYP’s offering support / guidance / information sharing to the wider community of childcare settings.
I feel this is a missed opportunity – both for childminder EYP’s who could be feeling even more isolated that their EYPs in settings, and for all the practitioners who do not have an EYP in their setting / are not an EYP. And most importantly for all the children who should be (and could be) benefiting from practice in childcare settings that has had the benefit of EYP input.

Finally on the subject – I think it is a great shame that there are some people who for whatever reason are not EYP’s – but who actually do their best to share information, good practice ideas and keep up to date with current thinking – without anyone giving them public acknowledgement or a route to some sort credit based on what they do rather than what they have studied and have a paper qualification in.

Please note that I am not ‘knocking’ EYP’s status or paper qualifications in general – however I do think that unless training (of any level) is actually put into practice – the ‘certificate’ is just a piece of paper!

I am also not knocking those practitioners who have spent hours studying and often spent large amounts of their own money(even if the course is free, the travel costs, time away from workplace etc are high) to gain EYP status – because as stated above I recognise that there many barriers for childminder EYP’s (and indeed will be for some other types of settings EYP’s)

What I hope to do is
a) Encourage those who have effective methods such as the Cheshire one – to share the methods used
b) open debate about barriers – so that together we might be able to remove those barriers