At the risk of embarrassing my team (in the manner of an embarrassing dad - which I’m proud to be) the summer issue of
Childminding magazine, published on Friday last week, includes a special feature
Behind the Scenes at SCMA. This provides a snapshot of what we have been doing over the last 23 weeks to support members since COVID-19 struck and has dominated our lives.
From time to time members, new or potential, ask what SCMA does in return for their subscription. This is a healthy question to ask of any membership organisation and one which we are happy to answer. The feature in our summer magazine provides a glimpse at the huge amount of work and activity undertaken by the team, both within and out of hours, since the outbreak of COVID-19. By any standards, this is exceptional and while done remotely and during rapidly changing circumstances, even more so.
We are aware that this continues to be a stressful and frustrating period. SCMA continues to play a vital role as the only organisation in Scotland dedicated to childminding and we will keep doing everything we can to support members during this unprecedented national emergency.
It’s easy to get caught up in the moment and daily frustrations, but when we step back and consider what has been achieved since the beginning of the pandemic , I feel humbled by and very grateful to our team. And trust me, there is much more to come. I can also honestly say, that with a long career in membership, I have never been prouder of a team, of a Board or an organisation than I am of SCMA at this time.
At SCMA, we understand and ‘
get’ childminding; the challenges you face, the transformative impact your support has on children and families, and that your livelihoods have been and continue to be at stake. We also know that many childminders feel under-valued and feel that childminding is often at the bottom of the pile. As an organisation, we are committed to changing this and increasing the value attached to childminding. This work is already under way and we also look forward to sharing details of our ambitious future strategy with you in coming months.
During the pandemic, SCMA has sometimes unfortunately found itself caught in the crossfire when situations have developed externally, information vacuums have arisen and there has been demand for clarity. Guidance has continually changed and developed and official announcements have sometimes had to be made in response to the rapidly changing environment in which we have all found ourselves, with detail to follow. This can cause confusion and uncertainty, but we have worked tirelessly for our members and the wider childminding community more generally over the past 23 weeks to help unpick what this means for childminding settings, parents/carers and children, helping to clarify information as much as possible, and as quickly as possible. We acknowledge that we may not always have gotten everything 100% right all of the time – we have all been navigating uncharted waters - but please be assured we are completely dedicated and committed to supporting our members every step of the way.
‘Behind the Scenes’ at SCMA
It’s true that much of the work of SCMA is ‘hidden’; in the sense that not everyone can see that we are continually working behind the scenes in a very high level of meetings with a range of stakeholders to constructively influence change on your behalf, but please be assured that this is always happening. Nobody cheers more loudly for childminding on a daily basis than the SCMA team.
The summer magazine feature only provides a small snapshot of work undertaken during COVID-19. It doesn’t include the huge amount of work we have put into positively influencing change on behalf of childminders, such as our recent work raising awareness of the devastating impact that restrictions on blended care were having on childminders and families. Neither does it include the wider range of services which we provide or the activities which we undertake during ‘normal times’ – all of which members’ subscriptions help us to deliver.
The full copy of
Childminding magazine is provided to members only, but we are reproducing our ‘Behind the Scenes’ feature
here, which highlights how SCMA has been supporting members throughout COVID-19, as we believe it may be of wider interest.
Graeme
Graeme McAlister
Chief Executive
Scottish Childminding Association (SCMA)
The summer issue our
Childminding magazine has been emailed to all SCMA members. You can also access the magazine via the SCMA
Membership Dashboard. Here, you can also browse previous issues of our Childminding magazines from the archive and catch up on things you may have missed.
The summer magazine focuses on ‘Outdoor Play and Learning’ with case studies from childminders across Scotland who are adapting their settings during COVID-19 to maximise their use of outdoor space. We also share tips and useful links to help support children’s mental health and wellbeing, provide an insight from behind the scenes at SCMA and deliver your regular favourites such as Craft Corner.