More people are needed to take on the big challenge of working with little people.

There are hundreds of vacancies in childcare across Sussex, ranging from voluntary playworkers to nursery managers.

Children under five learn more than at any other time in their lives and the good news for carers is there are opportunities for them to learn too and develop a career in childcare.

Teri Wyatt, who set up Zippies after-school club at Coldean Primary School in Brighton, said recruiting could be hard.

She said: "We find it difficult getting staff because in term time the work is part-time after school, which is not what lots of people are looking for.

"There is also this perception that playworkers aren't doing real jobs. People see the word 'play' and think it's not serious. They just don't understand what's involved."

Sharon Smythson, manager of Blueberry Nursery in Hove, said there had been a massive increase in the opportunities for carers' professional development in the past ten years.

She pointed to organisations such as the Brighton and Hove Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP) in promoting qualifications for carers.

She said: "The status of nursery practitioners has increased over the past decade.

"Previously, once you'd started work that was the end of your professional development.

"Things are much better now and the EYDCP has put more focus on NVQs and encouraging people from different walks of life into the sector."

A foundation degree in Early Years Care and Education is being introduced by the University of Brighton in September.

Sharon said: "This is good news for carers who would like to learn more about the technical skills increasingly required by supervisors and managers.

"Brighton will be one of the few places in the country where people can study such a course."

Graduates would be able to go into a supervisory position, study for a further year to obtain an honours degree, or go forward to teacher training.

Besides increased training, flexible working had encouraged a broader range of applicants into childcare.

Sharon said: "Flexible working has encouraged older women with families to become involved.

"It's more important to have a good member of staff for three days a week than wait for someone who can work full-time.

However, one group of people do not apply for childcare jobs - men.

Sharon said: "We would really welcome more applications by men but don't seem to be get much interest at all, perhaps because of fears about the media."

Sharon pointed out that even volunteers and students on placements had to be police-checked, which could take up to three months.

She recommended that anyone interested in the becoming a carer should visit a nursery to experience a typical day.

She said: "A lot of people have a natural ability to communicate with children but some don't and, when that's the case, children don't respond well."

Parents were usually good at communicating with children and could also understand the anxieties of other parents, which younger people could not always do.

One mum who decided to work with children is Nicola Bateman, who has become a childminder.

Nicola, who was two children, aged two and five, started work in February.

She said: "One of the reasons was people kept asking me if I was one.

"I always seemed to have lots of children around me, or my kids had friends around for tea."

She now looks after three other children at different times during the week.

Like all people working with children under eight, Nicola had to comply with the Children Act.

She registered with Ofsted and said the process of being checked and getting registered was a useful indication of whether you were organised and committed enough to become a childminder.

She said: "If you can't organise yourself enough to get hold of the right forms and go through the police checks, perhaps you're not organised enough to look after children.

"The good news is, once you've done all that there's lots of work out there.

"I got my first job on the day my registration came through and there's a big demand for childminders and nurseries because there are lots of working mothers in the city."

Many nurseries were started by parents who began out as childminders and Nicola said the work was challenging but fun.

She said: "I really like the fact I've got children around all the time. As far as I'm concerned, the more children, the more enjoyment."

Tuesday June 17, 2003