To commemorate teachers’ week, the Institute of Early Childhood Development (IECD), on Wednesday 5th October, rewarded six childminders for their absolute compliance with the national standards in place to run a home-based childminding service. In a small handing-over ceremony, the Chief Executive Officer of IECD, Mrs. Shirley Choppy, alongside the Director of Regulatory Affairs, Mrs. Nathalie Moustache visited and presented a small token of appreciation to this group of Childminders at their home as recognition of the positive impact that they are making in the lives of children.
This is the first group amongst others to receive such formal recognition and appreciation for their persistent efforts and hard work in achieving 100% compliance to National Standards for Childminding Service. They are Ms. Rosita Louise (Port-Glaud), Ms. Lita Antoine (Au Cap), Ms. Marina Joseph (Au Cap), Ms. Marie Andree Anacoura (Pointe Larue), Ms. Maureen Esther (Les Mamelles), and Ms. Marie Luce Zacharie (Roche Caiman). The campaign is expected to be continuous for other Childminders who also fully meet the requirements of the standards.
“This is an encouragement for our home-based early childhood educators and others to push them to strive and obtain 100% compliance. And it is further proof that the 10 National Quality Standards are attainable. Furthermore, it shows that our Childminders are aware of the value and significance of the national standards and benefits for young children and their holistic development. We are exceedingly proud of them and this milestone accomplishment in the ECCE sub-sector”, says Mrs. Choppy.
The majority of the Childminders rewarded expressed their gratitude for the recognition received and were delighted that Mrs. Choppy took the time out of her busy schedule to visit them.
“The Regulatory Affairs Section recognises the great efforts of the Childminders to implement and adhere to the requirements of the National Standards for Childminding Services, thus providing high-quality early care and education to young children. The Childminders were obviously proud and happy for the acknowledgement they have received. We are also pleased to see their dedication to their work and the obvious passion they have for the well-being of the young ones. We are looking forward to many more registered Childminders reaching this level of compliance”, says Mrs. Moustache, the Director for Regulatory Affairs at IECD.
There are 10 National Standards for Childminding Services that Childminders are required to implement. Four out of the ten are mandatory standards they need in order to register with the Institute. They are Health, Safety, Staffing, Child rights and Protection, while the others can gradually be implemented during their registration period. These are Early Learning, Interaction, Nutrition, Physical Environment, Administration, Family and Community Engagement. A formal inspection is then undertaken at least once every six months to monitor the implementation of the standards. At the same time, support for continuous improvement is provided. This is where the different levels of compliance come into place. Less than 75% is considered as limited compliance, whereas more than 75% but less than 100% is mostly compliant. Full compliance is when a childminder is at 100%.
Hence, the Institute has come up with a new initiative to recognise Childminders who have reached 100% compliance with the IECD National Standards on Childminding Regulation (2016).
