Tag: North Edinburgh Childcare

A huge thanks to State Street from North Edinburgh Childcare

A HUGE THANKS TO STATE STREET FROM NORTH EDINBURGH CHILDCARE

North Edinburgh Childcare’s Childcare Academy programme has now supported nearly 200 unemployed people to attain their SVQ Level 2 in Childcare and to progress into jobs in the childcare sector. Despite this success, the reality is that the majority progress into low paid jobs, earning the National Minimum Wage, within a sector where the only way to sustain your employment and enhance your income earning potential is to obtain further qualifications at SVQ Level 3 or above.

Due to the significant costs involved, former Childcare Academy participants cannot afford to self fund their way through the SVQ Level 3 and sources of financial support that were previously available have long since disappeared.

Last year, we were encouraged by one of our service users Lorna Roberts (an employee at State Street Corporation’s Edinburgh Branch) to submit an application for funding to the State Street Foundation to enable us to provide 12 former Childcare Academy participants with the opportunity to undertake their SVQ Level 3 free of charge. The application was successful and the initial group of grateful beneficiaries began their 18 month SVQ Level 3 journey in November 2011. All are progressing well through their award appreciative of the chance they have been given by State Street to enhance their families quality of life. Achievement of the SVQ Level 3 will  enable them to sustain their employment, register with the Scottish Social Services Council at the higher ‘Practitioner’ level, compete for higher paid ‘Practitioner’ jobs, enhance their level of household income and ultimately to progress out of ‘In Work’ poverty.

With the encouragement and support of both Lorna and Richard Walker (Client Services Manager at our local State Street) we recently submitted a second application to the Foundation to enable a further group of 14 former Childcare Academy participants to access the same opportunity and we are absolutely delighted to announce that our application has once again been successful.

We would like to extend a huge thank you to State Street for recognizing the long term implications of the situation faced by local workers earning the minimum wage and for providing our former Childcare Academy trainees with the opportunity to further their education, escape the poverty trap and progress towards earning a ‘Living Wage’.

We have delivered a number of  ‘information sessions’ to staff members of State Streets ‘UK Families Network’ in relation to ‘the safety of the home environment for children’ and we are in the process of exploring the possibility of delivering some ‘First Aid’ workshops to members in the near future. We are extremely grateful for the on-going support of our local State Street and we look forward to a long, prosperous and mutually beneficial partnership between our organisations.

Gill Dudgeon, North Edinburgh Childcare

 

A career in childcare?

Ever thought about a career in childcare? North Edinburgh Childcare (NEC) will be running a new INTO CHILDCARE course in November, and are holding an information session about the course on Frday 19 October.

NEC Training Administrator Kim Weir said: “If you are interested in this course please contact me on the number below to book a place on the information session being held on Friday 19 October. Please note that there are only a limited number of places available on this course, so bookings will be taken during the drop in session and from this selection the places will be allocated. Due to the availability of places it may be the case that not all the people who attend the drop in session will be successful in securing a place on the course.”

For further information contact Kim at North Edinburgh Childcare on 311 6931 or email Kim.weir@northedinburghchildcare.co.uk

 

Childcare consultation launched in North Edinburgh

The best package of flexible childcare in the UK, designed to make it easier for parents to access work, education or training is the cornerstone of new legislation, Minister for Children and Young People Aileen Campbell said today. The Minister was speaking as she launched a consultation on the forthcoming Children and Young People Bill at North Edinburgh Childcare in Pilton this morning.

The proposed legislation will help parents structure their childcare to best suit their family’s needs as well as:

  • Increasing the amount of flexible, early learning and childcare to a minimum of 600 hours annually for three and four year olds and looked after two year olds
  • Embedding the Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC) approach in a single system of planning and delivery across children’s services
  • A requirement for public bodies to design, plan and deliver policies and services that focus on improving children and young people’s wellbeing
  • Improving Scotland’s care system to ensure it offers effective, efficient support for children and families, centred on short and long term needs

Ms Campbell said: “The Scottish Government’s vision for children and young people is clear: we want Scotland to be the best place in the world to grow up.

“As part of this new Bill, I want to put in place the best and most flexible package of family support in the UK to help Scotland’s parents, children and our wider economy.

“This legislation will boost our ongoing efforts to strengthen the rights of the child, making Scotland a nation where the rights of children and young people are not only recognised but rooted deeply in our society and across our public services.

”We have a huge opportunity to make the most important changes to public services in a generation and I encourage as many people as possible to take part in the consultation and the wider debate on the future of children’s rights and services in our country.”

The consultation on the Children and Young People Bill runs for 12 weeks with the deadline for submissions being September 25. It will provide an opportunity for stakeholders, professionals, parents and carers and children and young people to have their say on the future shape of children’s services and the Scottish Government’s approach to delivering change.

Telford students – building and supporting local community projects

As part of a new course development at Edinburgh’s Telford College, Career Option Joinery and Painting and Decorating students have been carrying out citizenship projects in the local community by carrying out work for charitable organisations. Recent projects have included building and designing bespoke units and cabinets to create a health information library at Pilton Community Health Project and refitting office space, creating storage and building additional worktops to create an area for staff and clients to work together at Stepping Stones Project. The students have also built a fence at North Edinburgh Childcare to create a safe area for the children to play in. The work carried out by students has complemented their course work by providing learners with on the job experience and helping build key essential skills.

Feedback from projects has been extremely positive. Stepping Stones manager Marilyn Keilloh said: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank Emma, Colin and all the students who have done such great work for us in the last few weeks. Our new desk space and storage facilities will make a very real difference to how we work in the office. They have also been very accommodating, and have come up with some really innovative ideas to solve some of our space problems. As a small project with a very limited budget it has been a great help to us to get this work done. Also, we provide support services to very young parent families and pregnant teenagers so it is good that your students are able to help a project which supports people from their own age group. I would be really grateful if you could pass on my thanks from everyone here at Stepping Stones.”

The students themselves felt they gained new skills and experience by participating in the community projects. Dale Horribine, Career Option Joinery, said: “I think our class worked really well as part of a team in the projects. I would like to do more of these types of projects; it gives us the opportunity to gain new skills and to put our skills into practice in and around the community. It was the perfect work experience.”

Telford’s Head of Construction Sharon McCue-Livingstone fully supports the initiative within the department and now hopes that this can be extended to all areas of Construction within the college. “This is exactly the type of project that enhances what we believe is core to students’ experience, that of real working environment. My hope is to enhance and extend this activity as much as possible into all areas of Construction to provide essential employability skills for our students.”

Edinburgh’s Telford College are keen to become involved in more citizenship projects for charitable organisations in the future. If you think our students could work with your organisation please contact Keith Swann via keith.swann@ed-coll.ac.uk or Sharon McCue-Livingstone (Head) on sharon.mccue-livingstone@ed-coll.ac.uk

 

North Edinburgh Childcare forges international links

NEC joins Ghanaian Academy in Global Schools Partnership

Staff and children in North Edinburgh Childcare’s nursery first made contact with Larbec International Academy in Kumasi, Ghana, through the British Council’s Global Schools Gateway in June last year. A joint partnership was set up between the two organisations to provide opportunities for all of the children to learn and develop as global citizens. The partnership started with children and staff in both organisations getting to know one another through occasional phone calls and by sending letters, drawings, photos and emails. However it was felt that more could be achieved through direct face to face contact, and steps were therefore taken to explore the possibility of reciprocal visits.  

The cost of travelling between settings would have been unaffordable for either organisation had it not been for a grant secured through the British Council’s Global Schools Partnerships programme, which provided each centre with almost 50% of the travel costs. The remaining costs for the visits were raised through a wide variety of fundraising activities e.g. bake sales, quiz sheets, guess the birthday, stalls at the ForthQuarter Fair, face painting and a Christmas raffle. These events were very well supported by all the families who attend North Edinburgh Childcare and by the local community, all of whom helped staff to raise the necessary funds within a relatively short timescale. Once it was established that sufficient funds would be raised to allow the visits to go ahead two members of the staff team, Patricia Spiers and Shaz Akbar were selected as the nursery representatives who would make the trip.

With all the pre-visit requirements completed Patricia and Shaz set off on 16 February for a ten day visit to Ghana. On arrival they were made to feel extremely welcome by everyone they met. The community spirit in Ghana was very contagious, and Patricia and Shaz found that they were welcomed with cries of ‘Akwabba’ (welcome) everywhere they went!

The trip included two days travelling, five days working with the teachers and pupils in the school, two days training staff in active learning and emotional wellbeing in the early years and one day visiting local areas of interest . Patricia and Shaz also supported the school to raise its profile by visiting a number of organisations across the local community including the police station, abattoir and refuse company – and by meeting the Ashanti Queen and her Elders! A key area for further development in the school community is waste disposal and sanitation, and it is hoped that the courtesy calls made will support school staff in bringing this to the forefront for future development.

On returning to Edinburgh, Patricia and Shaz immediately began finalising the details for the Ghanaian teachers’ reciprocal visit. On 1 March Louis Safro, Head Teacher of Larbec Internation Academy, and Ruth Achiaa, a teaching staff team member, arrived in Edinburgh for a nine day visit. The children at North Edinburgh Childcare welcomed the visitors with a special assembly including greetings songs that they had prepared especially for them. To complement the program of activities undertaken in Ghana, Louis and Ruth spent time observing the teaching practices in North Edinburgh Childcare’s nursery playrooms and learning how to engage in active learning with children. They visited the various departments of the organisation including the Out of School Service and Training Service, all of which gave them ideas for future developments back at Larbec. Louis and Ruth also spent time visiting other organisations and various places of interest across Edinburgh. A special Parents’ Evening was held on 7 March (pictured below) to celebrate their visit and promote the ongoing success of the joint partnership.

Everyone at North Edinburgh Childcare would like to say a huge ‘thank you’ to all the local organisations who welcomed Louis and Ruth to their settings, allowing them to gain a greater insight of how things work here in Edinburgh.

These visits have proved invaluable in the progression of the partnership and both centres now move forward with solid footing comfortable with each other in knowing they share a vision for the future in developing children as Global citizens, becoming familiar with their similarities and respecting each other’s differences.

North Edinburgh Childcare

New career in childcare?

Want to work with children?  The Childcare Academy could be for you! North Edinburgh Childcare is recruiting students for a free childcare training course.  Participants can gain SVQ qualifications that can help you gain employment in the childcare sector.  For further information on the course, which starts on 27 February, call NEC Training Coordinator Barbara Webster on 311 6926.