National Childcare Week survey highlights parent volunteers
Katy Morton
Friday, July 8, 2011
Almost 60 per cent of mums would be interested in a volunteering role that involves their children, a new survey by the Daycare Trust suggests.
Of the 2,000 mums questioned, 14 per cent said they currently volunteer, with nearly a third giving their time to help in a nursery, children’s centre or school, most commonly in the capacity of a parent committee or PTA member
The survey by parenting club Bounty has been published to mark the Daycare Trust’s National Childcare Week, 11-18 July. The theme of this year’s week is 'Parents as Partners', and the charity is promoting the opportunities available to parents and grandparents through volunteering in childcare and early years settings.
The main reasons they gave for volunteering were that they enjoyed doing so (79 per cent), it gave them the opportunity to give something back to the community (66 per cent) and they felt they were making a difference to the lives of children (62 per cent).
Mums not currently volunteering gave the reason that they were too busy or had never thought of doing so. However, two-thirds said they would consider volunteering in the future, with 69 per cent more likely to do so if they could volunteer at a time that suited them and 58 per cent if they were able to take their children with them.
Anand Shukla, acting chief executive of Daycare Trust, said, ‘So many parents, grandparents and carers have valuable skills and talents that would make a huge difference to local nurseries, children’s centres and schools. In addition, evidence shows that increasing the involvement of parents in their child’s formal early childhood education and care benefits both parent and child.
‘This survey shows that many people have either never been asked or had never thought about volunteering – so during National Childcare Week we are encouraging people to find out about the volunteering opportunities on offer in their local childcare settings. From joining a management committee to gardening, to fundraising or helping with trips, there are so many opportunities.’
- As part of National Childcare Week 2011, Daycare Trust is also running its annual art competition. Last year’s winner was three-year-old Preston Townsend from Sandal nursery in Rotherham who drew a picture of a jockey for the theme of, ‘What I want to be when I grow up’.
