Nursery World - A childminder is a childcarer like any other

As a professional childminder for over six years who is currently doing a fast-track NVQ 3, I am horrified that the Government has deemed it OK for us to smoke in front of children and to be able to smack them with their parents' permission. I work in partnership with all my parents and pride myself on the professional working relationships I have established with them. Is the Government trying to tell us that we are not professionals and should therefore have different standards to any other childcare professionals? I do not see myself as different. I provide a caring, stimulating and educational environment where children will feel safe and secure, ensuring they have equal access to opportunities that will enhance their welfare and development leaving parents with peace of mind. I have always worked with the policy that children should never be smacked and that there are humane ways to teach them right from wrong. Children need praise and encouragement if they are to develop good self-esteem and self-confidence. Smacking encourages none of this.

I do not see myself as different. I provide a caring, stimulating and educational environment where children will feel safe and secure, ensuring they have equal access to opportunities that will enhance their welfare and development leaving parents with peace of mind. I have always worked with the policy that children should never be smacked and that there are humane ways to teach them right from wrong. Children need praise and encouragement if they are to develop good self-esteem and self-confidence. Smacking encourages none of this.

I also strongly disagree with smoking. I promote the health and well-being of all the children in my care, teaching them the basics of personal hygiene and the benefits of healthy eating and exercise. To expose a child to harmful tobacco smoke insults everything I, as a professional non-smoking childminder, have set out to achieve.

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