"Working in Shared Childminding Facilities" Professional Qualification Certificate: Feedback on an Innovative Training Piloted in Bordeaux

Blended Learning Format, an Essential Prerequisite

The key challenge in this "Working in MAM" Professional Qualification Certificate was offering a blended learning training pathway. "We wanted the training pathway to accommodate employed participants' availability constraints," indicates Florie Lahouste, territorial training coordinator at the University of Home Care Services. We thought about and built the pathway with this in mind so we could verify whether it works and make adjustments for change."

The two e-learning modules created by UDD are also designed to adapt to different trainee profiles. Indeed, the mix of participants enriches the training, with employed people already working in MAMs and project initiators in the same group. Laëtitia plans to open a MAM in Bègles with three friends soon. For her, "the training came at just the right time" when writing the project, feeling somewhat lost among all the requirements to fulfill and documents to submit. She's delighted to have benefited from the experience of other seasoned trainees in MAM operations: "We were fortunate in this training to have people who worked in MAMs. So we had their feedback, which greatly benefited the group." Indeed, the e-learning modules were designed to allow each trainee to spend the necessary time on each resource, such as needs analysis, depending on their status and project progress.

Comprehensive Training, Adapted to Field Needs

In barely two months, a group formed for this first pilot, despite the COVID-19 pandemic and the year-end holiday period, which isn't necessarily the most favorable timing. "This demonstrates the strong expectations and demand in the field," emphasizes Florie Lahouste. Until now, childcare providers felt left to their own devices.

Anne-Sarah considers MAMs "the future of childcare" and sees them as "an ideal professional life." For Fettouma, creating a MAM is "a carefully thought-out project." For these two childcare providers and other group members, the project became more concrete through the training that "clears the ground," as Laëtitia likes to say. "I worked on the needs analysis to determine where to establish the MAM so that it would be sustainable. So it could open and stay open. Also, regarding communication around the MAM, I communicate with the team and parents. And creating the association, its statutes, and internal regulations. Plus, everything related to the educational project and quality charter needed to open the shared childminding facility," explains Céline, who became a childcare provider four years ago after working in a daycare center as a trained early childhood educator. She now aspires to return to teamwork within a MAM.

Certification, the Small Plus That Makes All the Difference

While the childcare providers put their projects on hold during training to fully invest themselves, they have acquired the fundamentals that will allow them to move forward and be better equipped for the next steps. "I needed a comprehensive view of a shared childminding facility, especially from an administrative perspective. This training gave us all the necessary tools to take the step," declares Anne-Sarah, who would like to open a MAM in Le Bouscat.

The journey is still long, but this training has reinforced their desire to try the adventure. They feel more competent and better equipped to do it, especially with a Professional Qualification Certificate to show for it! "It's a plus since we'll be able to demonstrate this certification to parents. We can explain to them how the training went, what we learned, and above all, the certification will prove our professionalism." And Fettouma adds: "It's a guarantee that my skills are well acquired, well mastered."

A Pilot Supported by the Gironde Departmental Council