Children Webmag has been published on the first of (almost) every month since 1 January 2000. It is therefore approaching its tenth anniversary, it has published about sixteen hundred articles, and it now has a large and growing subscriber list.
The Webmag has not yet achieved its full potential, though, and there are many ways in which we want to improve the quality and variety of material presented. So Children Webmag has been registered as an educational charity with a Board of Trustees.
Dr Keith White, who is directly involved in child care as well as lecturing and writing, is the Chair of the Board. Mike Jones, who had a career in business, is the Treasurer. Gill Wilton was a journalist for many years and ran a company which published child care magazines prior to retirement. Valerie Jackson and Maureen O’Hagan both had varied careers in early years child care, including lecturing, examining, writing and consultancy.
To date, the Webmag has been run on a very modest budget, and to expand and improve the Webmag, additional funding is required. The Board will therefore be seeking grants from charitable foundations, and it is also prepared to receive sponsorship, either for columns or for specific issues, and advertising.
The aims of Children Webmag remain the same. The overall aim is to improve and maintain standards of services for children and young people, but to achieve this, the Webmag seeks to inform readers, to stimulate debate and to share ideas. Children Webmag believes that the key to good child care is a top quality committed workforce. This not only entails workers who are knowledgeable and skilled, but the fostering of the right motivation, attitudes and values. Child care needs to be sensitive to the differing needs of individuals, creative in thinking up ways to meet the needs of individuals, and positive in seeking to bring out the best in children and young people, whatever their circumstances.
Children Webmag is keen to support the creation of a strong child care profession, whose voice is heard nationally. It believes that new developments such as social pedagogy and restorative practice should help to encourage the professionalism of the workforce. Its independence as a charity means that it is not beholden to any Government, employer or other power group, but it does believe in fostering partnerships and sharing material in order to spread ideas. Children Webmag is also keen to take advantage of its electronic format by sharing ideas from around the world.
If you can help Children Webmag continue to develop, improve and achieve its aims, please get in touch, whether as a writer, reader, advertiser, funder or complainant.