FREE ENTITLEMENT
I am writing in response to 'Standing firm on fees' by Brighton nurseryowner, Roopal Gordon (In my view, 11 August). As an owner of threesettings on the south side of Birmingham, I was surprised by her remarkthat 'parents should not be required to pay top-up fees for the freeentitlement'.
One of my settings recently achieved Outstanding in every area in itsOfsted report and I hope the other two will achieve the same, as we areconstantly striving not only to meet our legislative requirements butalso to provide high-quality care - while still offering a 'lifeline' tosome parents. One of my settings is also in a disadvantaged area and hasbeen piloting the 15 hours free entitlement.
So, I want to ask Ms Gordon and our Government: if parents should not bemade to meet the shortfall in the funding that we are receiving to coverour overheads, who is going to meet the costs, particularly now, withthe planned increases in the national minimum wage and VAT?
We all know that, to survive in this sector, private providers have tojuggle their funding constantly, but what right does the Government haveto say that the funding is substantial and that providers should offertheir services regardless of whether they make a profit or not? And willthings ever change? No.
Nicola Cotton, owner of Happy Days Nursery, Birmingham
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COWBOYS AND INDIANS
As a childminder and mother of a level 3 nursery nurse, I am interestedin the modern/politically correct views of aggressive play and childrenplaying with guns.
I was born in 1946 and first attended a nursery school. My earliestmemories are of playing 'cowboys and Indians', where the cowboys chargedround pointing two fingers, in a pretend gun, at the Indians andshouting 'Bang, bang, you're dead!' Very few families then could affordto go to the cinema or had TV, so where the game came from I don'tknow.
Our teachers completely ignored our horrendous games, unless, of course,we fell and hurt ourselves. By the time I reached juniors, marbles,hopscotch and skipping had quite naturally, with no adult interference,replaced our cowboys and Indians game.
When my daughter was small, she shunned dolls in favour of guns andwater pistols. I started childminding when she was five and under strongprotests had to take away her 'aggressive' toys and provide 'acceptable'toys and encourage games like 'mummies and daddies' and dressing up.
I don't believe that children who vent their aggression in play usingtoy weapons end up as criminals. More likely, they will end up aslaw-abiding citizens such as myself and my daughter. Politicalcorrectness gone too far?
Name and address supplied
BAD EXAMPLES?
As an avid fan of comic books as a child and superhero films as anadult, I was shocked to read that superheroes are being blamed for poorbehaviour in boys ('Movie superheroes "make bad role models for boys",'News, 18 August).
Modern films about old comic book superheroes have been 'hyped up' toappeal to the adults. They are not intended for nursery-age children andparents should be responsible enough not to let young children viewthem. However, children should be exposed to age-appropriate superheroesin comics, TV and films.
Superhero play offers wonderful moments for adults to engage and discusscharacters with children and is often the only way to get boysinterested in learning and playing constructively. We should embrace ourcomic book characters for their positive impacts and channel themotivation, energy and inspiration they provide to boys and girls. WhenI was a child, I played 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' with otherchildren and it developed my social skills, as we would talk aboutfeelings of anger, sadness or good overcoming evil. Long live superheroplay - I loved it when I was a little girl!
Sophie Caulfield, manager, Sanyu Daycare, Old Trafford, Manchester- Send your letters to ... The Editor, Nursery World, 174 HammersmithRoad, London W6 7JP; letter.nw@haymarket.com; 020 8267 8401
