 News
24th January 2008
Take your
Dad to Nursery DayDads, Grandads and other male carers across the
country will today experience what it’s like to be a childcare worker by taking
part in Take Your Dad to Nursery Day. The day is being celebrated in nurseries
across the country to highlight the importance of male role models in young children’s
lives. The campaign launched by rugby ace Will Greenwood will see Dads
across the country spending time with their kids at nursery. A host of
activities have been planned and nurseries have invited Dads and their children
to take part in them. From singing and painting to science work-shops, rocket
making competitions to football games. Take Your Dad to Nursery Day is
an opportunity for Dads to find out what their children do at nursery every day.
According to a recent mini poll, one in five dads couldn’t name their children’s
childcare worker and almost half were unable to name fiveof their child’s school
friends. Eight out of ten fathers wish they could spend more time with
their kids and almost one in five fathers have actually considered a career in
childcare. The day itself is part of the Department for Children, Schools
and Families (DCSF) campaign: – ‘Working in Early Years – It’s not just child’s
play’. Take Your Dad to Nursery Day is an opportunity for Dads, Grandads
and other male carers to experience for themselves what working in childcare is
really like. Currently only 3 per cent of people working in Early Years
in England are men and it is estimated that thousands of people need to be recruited
to work in the sector to support the expansion of childcare services. Ed
Balls MP, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families said, “As a Dad
I know how important it is that our children are given the best possible start
to their lives, which means it is critical we continue to recruit and retain sufficient
numbers of Early Years and Childcare workers from a variety of backgrounds. "Only
3 per cent of the Early Years sector is male and we want to change that. "Men
working in childcare have an important part to play in shaping children’s futures
and providing positive male role models. They do a fantastic job and Take Your
Dad to Nursery Day is a chance to celebrate the work they do and encourage others
to consider a challenging career working in Early Years.” England rugby
star and father, Will Greenwood is supporting the campaign. He said “As a Dad
myself, I know how important and rewarding it is to provide a positive male influence
for my children. "Watching my children grow and develop is incredibly
rewarding and I think it’s such a shame more men don’t consider careers working
in Early Years because it’s so important for children to have good male role models
in those early stages. "Take Your Dad to Nursery Day is a brilliant
opportunity for Dads to go down to their children’s nursery and find out about
all the fun activities and learning that goes on there. "I’ll definitely
be getting involved in the activities at my children’s nursery. Nurseries right
across the country have organised some brilliant activities and I would recommend
Dads everywhere to take their part in celebrating the vital role both they, and
the men working in Early Years, play in providing their little ones with a positive
male role model.” If you are a parent interested in finding out more about
Take Your Dad to Nursery Day please contact your children’s nursery. Where
to next? | 
