Dr Peter Elfer says that developing the deep level knowledge and self-assurance to manage the complexity of contemporary early years practice requires study, not just 'love'.

When one thinks of the Beatles song, ‘All you need is love’, or Sue Gerhardt’s book on childcare, ‘Why Love Matters’, you might wonder if ‘love’ is all that counts in early years work and feel qualifications matter less. We all know practitioners with impressive lists of qualifications who just do not seem to cut it with children and families. 

However, ‘love’, if it ever was, is no longer enough and the right qualification does matter. The Effective Provision of Pre-School Education study highlighted the difference graduate qualifications made to quality of provision. The more recent Sound Foundations Report on under-threes made a similar point. 

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