VERY few grandparents would complete a Certificate III in Early Childhood Education to receive government funding to look after their grandchildren, Dubbo grandmother Cheryl Stubbs said.
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Ms Stubbs has nine grandchildren and said the proposal would be hard to sell among the older generation.
"Parents from 30 or 40 years ago can be a bit set in their ways," she said.
"Changing the older generation is a challenge; you'd get one or two per cent to do the course, if you're lucky."
However, Ms Stubbs would definitely complete the course to ensure she gave her grandchildren the best care.
"Personally I'd still do it because they're my grandchildren," she said.
She also admitted a lot had changed since she raised her children.
"So many things are different today, from feeding kids to sleeping and disciplining," Mrs Stubbs said.
"Our parenting 35 years ago is extremely different to today's standard."
Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care is an 18-unit course at a cost of $838.
Questions have been raised about whether the cost will be subsidised or covered by the government.
It has also been asked if and how the funding would affect grandparent's pension payments.
Ms Stubbs said regardless she believed it would be worthwhile.
"You learn from others that attend the course and learn hands-on things that you can't learn from a book," she said.
However, she said it shouldn't be a requirement.
"Why should grandparents have to have an extra qualification?"
She said there was nothing greater than being able to look after her grandchildren.
"If children stay with family they will be able to stay in their home environment," she said.
Ms Stubbs said the idea of paying grandparents to look after their grandchildren had "some awesome yeses" but complications as well.
"I don't see any reason why grandparents shouldn't be paid to look after their grandchildren, they're doing the same job as childcare and family day care," she said.
"They would have to have the same standards within their homes as family day care and childcare centres if they were going to be paid, which would deter people.
"That's if grandparents aren't still working- a lot of grandparents these days are still working as much as their children, so they wouldn't have time to look after their grandchildren," she said.
