If I can do it, so can you
Caron Cope, a mother of six - three children of her own, three step children and a proud grandmother of six, works as a birth to five coordinator in private daycare and cannot think of anything more rewarding than supporting her staff in their goals and helping them to release their full potential: 'Gaining Early Years Professional Status has given me the confidence to be able to fully support children and staff,' she believes.
Caron loved being a stay-at-home mum to her children and like many other mothers helped out at her children's school whenever she could on a voluntary basis throughout their education - infants, junior and secondary school. 'I became a parent governor at the secondary school and this helped build my confidence and it enabled me to see that a career in childcare was the right direction for me,' she adds.
Eager to start, Caron threw herself into getting all the qualifications she needed to achieve her dream. 'Once I'd had children of my own and was able to dedicate some time to me, that would be the right time. My passion was always to do something with younger children, when my children started secondary school I thought, now is the time - I can do it!' says Caron
In 1999, she decided to begin her journey and applied for a part-time position as a nursery nurse trainee. Caron enrolled at Basford Hall College and completed her National Nursery Examination Board NNEB qualification. Now that her children were older and more independent she had time to dedicate to her own ambitions of working in childcare. Caron achieved her NNEB and went on to a fulltime position of nursery nurse within Ark Nursery. Her quest for further personal development within childcare encouraged her to enrol at university and in 2008 she successfully gained her BA Education (Early Childhood Studies).
'It's not always been easy but children are my passion and this has overtaken any stumbling blocks I've ever had. My husband and family have always been so supportive and this has been the real strength of my success' Caron adds.
A little over 10 years later and Caron has achieved her dream and is a graduate with Early Years Professional Status (EYPS), the gold award in childcare.
Caron works in a flourishing daycare setting in Nottingham, a friendly neighbourhood nursery that offers a 'home from home'. They provide for the physical, emotional and educational needs of children from birth to five-years-old. The Ark Day Nursery has been an established private nursery for nearly 30 years and Caron is a highly valued member of the team.
Caron insists the hard work and commitment required to gain EYPS was worth every minute. 'Gaining EYPS helps you reflect on your existing practice and gives you the confidence to make changes where appropriate. It helps you extend on your already existing skills and I feel it makes you a better person professionally as well as personally.' When Caron applied for EYPS she needed to achieve the GCSE entry requirement grades. 'I enquired at the university of Derby [to see] if they had any advice on how I could start my GCSE's - to be honest, this was the worst part of the whole time of my study. Louise Harvey, the EYPS administrator, advised various routes - I chose to complete through the online equivalency agency that they use.
In May 2008, I sat the English GCSE Equivalency Exam and achieved 76 percent, which is equivalent to GCSE grade B and, in September 2008, I sat the maths Equivalency Exam and achieved 56 percent, which is equivalent to a GCSE grade C. I just scraped by at the pass mark, which is 55 percent, but I was so relieved. I started my EYPS on September 12, 2008, and achieved my goal. If I can do it then anyone can!
'Having the nursery owner at my EYPS graduation ceremony was a proud evening for me. I could not have completed the journey without her continued support and encouragement. I wake up each morning eager to start my day, wondering what challenges lie ahead but comfortable in the knowledge that I am equipped to deal with any eventuality.'
Download a copy of this article as it appeared in the printed version of EYE Volume 11, No 10, March 2010
EYE Volume 11, No 11, March 2010
Reproduced with permission. Early Years Educator (c)2010 MA Education Limited.
EYE is available through subscription or from selected newsagents and bookstands. It features a broad range of professional articles for practitioners who are serious about developing their career including information for those working, or wanting to work, in early years and attain the Early Years Professional Status (EYPS).