NURSERY manager Kim Wadham has completed a new qualification at Scallywags in Weymouth.

She has successfully gained Early Years Professional (EYP) status, which is aimed at raising the profile of the child care workforce.

Kim works as manager at the Scallywags child care centre.

Scallywags is based at Weymouth Sports Club but is due to move to the Wey Valley school campus in September as the sports club is being taken over by Weymouth College.

Kim, who was already a qualified Early Years Teacher, undertook a three-month, part-time route to the award.

She said: "It was hard work gathering all the evidence together in such a short space of time and the visit from the assessor was quite a stressful day, but it was worth it.

"It is a great achievement for both me and Scallywags."

The Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC) aims to have an EYP in every child care setting by 2015.

The new status requires people in child care who are already working at graduate level to demonstrate their practice against 39 National Standards set at graduate level.

Those who demonstrate these standards can be awarded Early Years Professional Status (EYPS) which is equivalent in level to qualified teacher status (QTS).

Kim is thought to be one of the first Early Years Professional working in the area.

Nursery owner Belinda Ryan said: "As well as being at the forefront of developing the childcare workforce locally, Scallywags has been able to access an increased level of funding for all of its staff training needs."

She said that as as well as funding for enrichment activities for the children that 'over the last few terms, we have used the funding to provide extra staff to take the children swimming every week'.

The nursery has also had such visitors to the nursery as African drumming workshops and animal rangers, who 'bring in lots of exciting creatures for the children to see and touch'.

Belinda added: "All of the children and staff team members have been able to benefit from Kim's achievement through this funding."