A happy vocation
An All Saints' nurse writes: I would say to all nursery nurses, in the words of Robert Louis Stevenson, 'the salary in any business under heaven is not the only, nor indeed the first, question', and to All Saints Nurses in particular our motto, Serviendum Laetandum (in joyful service), does not mean, How little can we do to serve joyfully, but how much! Should we not rather exert ourselves and rise, when the opportunity is offered, to still greater service? 24 March 1926
New career
Nursery nursing is taking on a new meaning today, says a statement from the National Society of Children's Nurseries. It offers a new career for young girls which is of the greatest importance to the war effort and provides them with a training which will be invaluable to them in later life when they marry and have children of their own. 25 February 1943
Shared name
War-time regulations and classifications of women for calling-up have made use of the same title by children's nurses and by women who have qualified for sick nursing rather confusing, no doubt. Perhaps it is time for our children's nurses to get a new name? 'Nannie' is an old-established one, though for some people it has a Victorian sound which they do not like. 25 March 1943
Spice of life
Safari nurse writes: I branched out into temporary nursery nursing about five years ago, after a year's nursing in a maternity hospital to gain training and experience plus my nursery training taken years earlier. I have been engaged in temporary work ever since and have found it most interesting, giving a varied life and much experience. One can travel all over the country and beyond it. 26 February 1959
Home care
As nursery nursing students, just completing a three year training in both residential nurseries and day nurseries, where children from mixed environments are looked after, we were shattered by Dr Joan Gomez's article on adoption. Her views on children from residential homes, seem, to us, to be quite out of date.
In these homes today, we have found that every possible care is taken to ensure that the children have a life as near as possible to that of a real home. They are always cared for in small groups, with continuity of care.
The children have a normal day, and there are no bells, no drills, or any kind of regimentation. 5 August 1965
Working together
In the infant school, the nursery nurse acts as an assistant to a qualified teacher. She has more time to spend 'caring' for the children, while the teacher spends more time educating them. During the time I spent in an infant school, I found that there were several occasions when I was able to take on the role of mother substitute. I listened to some fantastic make-believe stories from some of the children. I think perhaps their teacher would not have had the time to listen to these fantasies, so they were brought to me, and were gently laughed away, as Mother would have done. A teacher plus a nursery nurse seems to me the ideal combination for the education of young children. 13 October 1977
Male carers
It is about time male nursery nurses were accepted, not only by our profession but by the general public who seem to know little about why we want to work with children and what we gain from it. 21 September 1978
Demanding work
It would seem that many staff from day nurseries do not easily adjust to working closely with parents. In one day nursery that converted to a family centre the original ten nursery nurses all left within a few months.
There was a need for a wide range of skills in family centre staff - and those who thought that the staff/child ratio could be reduced from day nursery levels were wrong. It may even be necessary to double the number of staff who need support and training for this demanding and highly specialised work. 12 April 1984
Proper training
Editor's comment: What I question is the assumption that all nursery nurses are temperamentally suited to the role of counsellor. Too many authorities are paying lip service to the idea of family centres without long term planning and proper staff training. 27 March 1986
Raw deal
For many years, some nursery nurses working in education have had a raw deal. Designated as nursery assistants, they are sometimes restricted to more menial tasks, and little advantage has been taken of their broadly based 'cluster of skills' which cover areas in which their colleagues, the teachers, have little or no training.
Things are changing and in many areas the NNEBs have been redesignated and 'permitted' to use their rightful title of nursery nurse and job descriptions have been issued.31 July 1986
Lucky me!
A childcarer writes: I consider myself one of the 'lucky ones'. Why? Because I am a 21-year-old male NNEB. I've worked with children since 1989 and have never been happier.
I was overwhelmed to be offered a place on the full-time NNEB course and didn't miss one single day at college or on placement. However, on the course I experienced discrimination, bullying and verbal abuse from my fellow female students. This eroded my self-confidence and I relapsed into an old condition which I thought I had beaten - stammering. In the end, I had to see a counsellor, but managed to finish the course.
Towards the end of the course, I wrote to two nanny agencies to register for work. One sent me the most discouraging letter which said: 'You may have difficulty getting a job as a nanny in this part of the world. I'm afraid that people tend to be very conservative in their outlook and would need a lot of persuasion to take on a young man rather than a young woman.'
The other agency wrote a most encouraging letter explaining they would place me on their register even though it may prove hard to place me.
Two weeks later, I was offered a permanent position, as nanny to three children. I am now in my second week and loving every minute of the work.
Why, in the 1990s, is there still so much discrimination against male childcare workers? Having just received my NNEB certificate, I shall shout from the rooftops that I am a male nursery nurse!
6 August 1992
Cheap option
I think the Government's plans to enhance the role of classroom assistants will encourage schools to employ classroom assistants instead of qualified nursery nurses because they are less expensive to employ. 10 January 2002
Neglected profession
I love the job I do as a nursery nurse, and the rewards I get from looking after children are unparalleled.
However, in this day and age, especially with growing concerns over quality in childcare, I feel we are being neglected as a profession. This is shown in our salary scale. I am 25 and since qualifying four years ago I have not been able to move out of my parents' home. This is not through choice but necessity, as it is not possible for me to commit to a mortgage and other financial responsibilities on the wage I'm earning.
6 May 2004
Job satisfaction
A nursery nurse in a private day nursery says of her job: Fun! Something new every day! Knowing you are doing one of the most important jobs in the world in helping children grow and develop. 29 September 2005