This should have been an exciting visit where she learned about what her child would do all day, but instead, three-quarters of the 'visit' was taken up by the nursery explaining their compliance with regulations - how often the changing mat was wiped; where the first aid kit was and who was trained in first aid; how many pairs of gloves they wore to change nappies (two pairs at once); where toothbrushes were stored; and the temperature of the dormitory.
Standards of hygiene and infection control are important, of course, but we need to get the balance right. In making sure that children are well looked after and that establishments are healthy places to be, we mustn't ignore the other things that are really important. A number of councils have worked closely with the Scottish Government on Getting It Right for Every Child. A key element of this approach has been to develop an assessment framework that will focus the attention of all our staff - whether in early years, in foster or residential care or in youth justice - on the extent to which the services they provide help children to be Safe, Healthy, Active, Nurtured, Achieving, Respected and Responsible and Included.
The framework can also act as a useful guide to parents when choosing a nursery. It helps get beyond an assessment of the immediate environment to consider the outcomes for the child.
It's really easy to be distracted by process, and get bogged down in tick-box exercises. But it is important to remember that what we are all working towards is to help children be happy, healthy and all they can be. They don't care if the toothbrushes are in the kitchen or the bathroom or if you use one pair of gloves or three!
