MP Steve Brine, chair of the APPG, held a meeting to discuss the challenges that currently face the sector’s workforce, both in response to Covid-19 and long-term funding issues that have impacted its employees.
Speakers included Josh Cottell, senior researcher at the Education Policy Institute, Mary-Ann Stephenson, director of the Women’s Budget Group, and Laura Barbour, early years lead from The Sutton Trust.
The meeting, which was also attended by early years membership organisations, highlighted the issues the sector faces in terms of pay, retention, recruitment and qualifications.
It addressed the challenges faced by owners and employers who want to be able to pay their staff a good wage and offer them opportunities to progress and upskill but are unable to, due to the ongoing funding crisis and market failure experienced by the early education sector.
Mr Cottell highlighted the pressures on early years, including higher costs due to Covid 19 measures, and reduced demand and retention issues due to lack of funding impacting negatively on prospective salaries in the sector.
Ms Stephenson, director of the Women’s Budget Group, which monitors the impact of Government policies on women, discussed the detrimental impact of Covid19 on the female workforce.
She made the point that childcare and early education is ‘as essential as roads or rail’, adding, ‘I wouldn’t be able to see my doctor if I didn’t have good childcare.’
Ms Barbour, early years lead from The Sutton Trust, talked about how the early years funding gap was widening pre-Covid, and how the pandemic has exacerbated this.
She also commented on the importance of retaining experienced and highly- qualified staff, which has been proven to positively impact the attainment of children as they progress to primary school.
‘As we move in to a hopefully post-Covid world we need to continue to focus on social mobility as the gap in educational outcomes for less advantaged children is widening and we need to focus on ensuring fair access and the development of a quality early years workforce,' she said.
'There are key challenges in achieving this ambition agenda… The costs of establishing and sustaining a highly-qualified early years workforce are significant, but really should be seen as an investment in human capital for future generations and a signal of the importance given to securing social mobility for left-behind young children.’
Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, told the APPG that childcare and early years workers must be valued as ‘educationalists, not babysitters’.
He said, ‘We would not be having this discussion if we were talking about children that are five years of age plus. We are not seen as educationalists and that is the battle that we have and until we get the recognition that we educate and we steer children; that we create good, strong citizens - and frankly, I can’t see that we will get that investment - but it’s for politicians to stop regarding this sector as babysitters and to realise the worth they have.’
Mr Brine concluded, ‘It is crucial that we safeguard the future of this vital sector and the workforce that sustains it. The APPG session today has given parliamentarians and practitioners the chance to constructively discuss the challenges that face the early years workforce, and added further weight to our calls for an independent meaningful review by Government to look into ways that we can alleviate the pressures facing the workforce.’
NDNA’s chief executive Purnima Tanuku, who also attended the meeting, said, ‘We had a really important session at yesterday’s APPG discussing the early years workforce crisis.
‘Report after report were showing the existing crisis is worsening as a result of the Covid pandemic. It’s important that parliamentarians have the opportunity to hear from the sector and discuss proposals for a whole-scale policy review addressing underfunding and supporting children’s development and education at this challenging time.
She added, ‘Equally, nurseries are vital for economic recovery. We have been clear all along that the Government needs to recognise that a Plan for Jobs needs a Plan for Childcare.’