Mum to sit on nursery care review panel
A CUTS campaigner who fought plans to shut seven children's centres has agreed to join an independent panel reviewing nursery education in the city.
Millissa Beydilli will be part of the group advising Stoke-on-Trent City Council on how it can radically improve pupil performance at key stage one – despite major budget cuts.
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PANEL MEMBER: Millissa Beydilli, who fought council cuts.
The mother-of-one, a Blurton Primary School governor, led successful campaigns to shelve closure plans and scale back cuts at children's centres.
Plans under consideration as part of £21.1 million budget cuts include reducing free nursery education for three and four-year-olds from 30 hours a week to the legal minimum of 15 hours.
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The council insists it wants to improve performance in early years schooling.
Mrs Beydilli said: "I have children's best interests at heart, and will be reflecting this on the panel.
"Parents might not understand that there may be changes in the near future, so it is important for the community to have a mum on the panel."
The panel is being chaired by Eleni Ioannides, children's services adviser to the Director of Children's Services Leadership Programme.
She said: "The council is very ambitious and wants Stoke-on-Trent to be a first class working city.
"It is really important that the panel can bring to the debate ways that efficiencies can be made, evidence of best practice work elsewhere in the country and to reflect the views of local people.
"Our work will then provide recommendations to the council designed to be as helpful as possible."
Comments
by I_Norris
Monday, December 03 2012, 7:38PM
“Stooge http://tinyurl.com/cd6wxm8
Mrs Beydilli has now been chosen to sit on a panel looking into that review.
She said: "I don't want any children's centres to close, but every year Stoke-on-Trent has been cut to the bone.
"Two years ago we fought and we saved them, but everyone saw the town hall shrinking, the elderly care homes close, the facilities they use on a daily basis all closing.
"I don't want to appear selfish in keeping all the children's centres open. I would love them to stay open - I think they're valuable to a cross-section of the community but at the same time I've got to be fair."”
by ravo1972
Saturday, December 01 2012, 1:59PM
“If you can't afford them don't have them.”
by _IMHO_
Friday, November 30 2012, 1:26AM
“should say - on providing not OR providing. Time for bed i think.”
by _IMHO_
Friday, November 30 2012, 1:24AM
“'mum2mum' - don't see how you reach that conclusion. if people were just concerned about money how come no one has asked how much it will cost to pay for the hours which might be lost. what is clear is that people are concerned about how it will effect their children and it will have an impact either by not attending full time ( and missing out on what the nurseries have to offer ) or by their parents having less money to spend or providing for the child - unless the parents work longer hours to meet the additional expenditure - in which case the child misses out with time with its parent”
by Mum2mum
Thursday, November 29 2012, 11:02PM
“It seems most parents are more worried about the cost to themselves this will cause rather than the care or whats best for their child at the age of 3!!!!!!!”
by Redtone
Thursday, November 29 2012, 5:53PM
“'Come in to my parlour' said the spider to the fly...”
by I_Norris
Thursday, November 29 2012, 5:19PM
“mommanoesbest: I fear melissa will be the face used to justify cuts to the public, and we need more varied parents representing childrens needs.
nursery isnt just about childcare its about socialising and learning from ones peers
I asked yesterday on Council Facebook Budget page on how we can get involved
http://tinyurl.com/bt4ewmd
no reply yet”
by WebMonkey1
Thursday, November 29 2012, 2:25PM
“I've set up a poll. For or against reducing the nursery hours.
http://tinyurl.com/cavney2”
by WebMonkey1
Thursday, November 29 2012, 2:20PM
“My kids have done nothing but bloom in a school ran nursery. At the age of 3, they can hold a pen, write there name, count to 20. All of this done through learning through play.
Kids are going to learn more at schools with qualified Staff. It's a mad idea, it will set our kids back.
My other beef with this, is not with Millissa, but with the fact that working parents aren't being represented here. We need just more than one parent out of the entire city involved. We need people from all walks of life. Working parents need to have a say to.
Have a read of the following on MyTunstall for some very strong and valid points.
http://tinyurl.com/bsn4pfj”
by mommanoesbest
Thursday, November 29 2012, 12:18PM
“Well done Melissa, you're just the person needed for the job.”