A question to set you thinking. Who are a child's first teachers?

Let me put it another way. Who's there when your child takes its first step? Who is ready with congratulations when the child utters his or her first word?

Who is it that encourages your little savage to live and let live in a small social unit? Yes, it's you, the parent, which makes you - possibly to your surprise - a precious commodity.

And that makes your skills very attractive to the nursery, playgroup or out-of-school club your child attends.

So, if you could spare some time each week as a volunteer, perhaps while your child is there, you would be welcomed with open arms.

You might feel you have no special skills but you would be emphatically wrong and they would soon winkle out your particular strengths, whether it's art, music or baking.

What you would bring, along with your particular skills, is your knowledge and experience of the age group.

As an amateur gardener, for instance, you would know which plants could survive erratic care and, as a parent, you would know what activities are most likely to hold a child's interest.

Few things can match the satisfaction of opening up a child's mind to new experiences. But, as a working parent, you might think the couple of hours you could spare, maybe once a year, would be rejected.

Think again. One architect father visited his child's nursery to show the children what he did for a living. They were so enthralled by his photos and drawings, it prompted a project on architecture, introduced them to practical geometry and they produced their own handmade houses.

But volunteering is not just for parents. If you have a teenage son or daughter who is considering a career in childcare, it makes sense for them to try it out first.

Equally, it can be a useful growing-up experience before going to university (and looks good on a CV).

In a sector dominated by women, energetic young men are particularly in demand, not just for the sports activities they can organise but because they provide a positive role model for children, many of whom now live in one-parent families.

What does volunteering lead to? Interestingly, it is one of the most common routes for people to enter the profession.

I know of one trained accountant who put in time as a volunteer and loved it so much, she qualified in early education and now runs a successful nursery.

Qualifications are the by-word. For, while nurseries and after-school clubs can employ up to 50 per cent unqualified staff, without qualifications, you will never rise to the top - no matter what your talent.

The training, however, is very different from how it used to be - practical, based round hands-on experience in a setting of your choice and likely to result in a National Vocational Qualification.

If fees are a problem, there are a number of options from New Deal (details from the Jobcentre), to College Access Funds.