Nursery providers and Government should consider introducing this sort of scheme in order to improve the quality of the workforce, Professor Melhuish told Nursery World.
The study, which began in May 2004, found that the quality of childcare at Child Base nurseries on average scored better than the English private day nurseries evaluated in the EPPE study.
Professor Melhuish and his researchers used the same measures used in the EPPE study (see www.ioe.ac.uk) to analyse quality of care in 24 Child Base nurseries. The results were then compared with the 31 private day nurseries in the EPPE study.
He said, 'The study clearly indicates that the quality of childcare in Child Base nurseries where staff have received the Sound Foundations training is better than that in a representative sample of private day nurseries in England. The Child Base nurseries scored higher on 12 of the 15 subscales. And where they were not better than average, they were equal to it, or the difference was not significant.'
Emma Phillips, managing director of Child Base, said she is 'delighted' at the positive results at this early stage in the study. She said, 'They highlight the value of having well-trained and well-qualified staff.'
But Ms Phillips said that the nurseries did not score as 'highly as they hoped' in language and communication. She said, 'We will review and adapt our programme in response to any areas where improvement may be needed. And we plan to do more research in three years time, in which we hope there will be even more significant differences.'
Professor Melhuish said that the results clearly indicate that the process of improving quality can be accelerated by in-service training.
He said, 'The Government should look at rolling out something equivalent to this nationally. I know the Children's Workforce Development Council is considering ways to improve the quality of the workforce. It would not be the only answer, but could be part of a package of measures put in place to improve the quality of care in settings and train childcare workers.'
He added, 'Child Base should be applauded for taking positive steps to improve quality and train the workforce. In-service training should be considered more generally as a way of improving the quality of care, certainly in group care settings, and most likely for all childcare settings. I would be interested in following this up on a more national basis - because training and improvement of quality is one of national importance.'
Sound Foundations aims to give practitioners the expertise to help children develop self-esteem and communication skills and prepare them for formal learning. Child Base says it forms the bedrock of care and development in each of the chain's 32 nurseries and to date, 250 members of staff have completed it or will do so shortly.
More information on Sound Foundations can be found in Nursery World, 9 June 2005.