My colleague Liane Mozere has been researching the competences of nursery workers in French creches. The French system of childcare provides state creches for 20 per cent of children aged under three, under the auspices of the Minister of Health. The creches are organised by doctors and psychologists, and have a qualified nurse in charge, but the day-to-day care of the children is undertaken by auxiliaires de periculture or nursery assistants. (At age three children move on to the ecoles maternelles in the school system).
The auxiliaires have a six-month on-the-job training, focusing mainly on health and safety. It is a job which offers stability of employment and state-guaranteed benefits such as pensions, paid holidays and sick leave. On the other hand, the auxiliaires are the lowest of the low, although they are the only ones who work with children on a daily basis.
Liane organised monthly discussion groups with several groups of auxiliaires, 80 women in total, over a two-year period. At first, the auxiliaires complained about their lack of recognition and even showed some hostility towards the children. They said children misbehaved more than they used to and were difficult to manage.
Liane asked them to talk about their competences. At first, they described themselves as 'ordinary', but gradually the discussions opened out, and a picture began to emerge of a complex day with many unforeseen events within the group of staff and children, where they coped inventively and took real pleasure in small events.
The staff undervalued themselves, as they were undervalued within the system, but through the groups they began to have more confidence in their own abilities and coping strategies, and in being able to voice their opinions to the professionals in charge.
It is difficult to translate experiences from one country to another. We do not have state-run creches where money is not a problem and staff are securely employed. But we do have hierarchies where the nursery workers who do the donkey work are undervalued. Perhaps there are some lessons to be learned after all.
Helen Penn is professor of early childhood studies at the University of East London.
Liane Mozere's research is in French but she is happy to correspond with interested practitioners about it in English via e-mail at hllm@free.fr.