December 2024 Newsletter
Welcome to our December issue of the Early Years Workforce Hub Newsletter. Sending you warm holiday greetings and best wishes for the New Year. In this issue, we bring you the latest insights and updates on the early years workforce, including strategies for flexible working, policy developments, and much more. Thank you for your support.
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Building the early years and childcare workforce of the future by Timewise
The early years and childcare sector is at a critical juncture. With increasing demand for childcare services, the sector faces significant challenges in recruiting and retaining skilled staff. The recent report by Timewise, “Building the Early Years and Childcare Workforce of the Future,” offers crucial insights and practical solutions to address these challenges through the implementation of flexible working practices.
The report highlights the severe recruitment and retention crisis in the early years sector. A staggering 78% of providers report difficulties in recruiting staff, with a notable shortage of qualified personnel. Flexible working is identified as a key strategy to attract a more diverse pool of candidates, including older workers and those with caring responsibilities. By offering flexible working options, the sector can become more appealing to potential employees, thereby alleviating staffing shortages.
Flexible working is not just about attracting new staff; it is also crucial for retaining existing employees. The report emphasizes that many early years workers feel undervalued and exhausted, often due to rigid working patterns. Implementing flexible working arrangements can significantly improve staff wellbeing and job satisfaction, leading to higher retention rates. This is particularly important in a sector where emotional and physical demands are high.
One of the main concerns for nursery managers is balancing staff preferences with operational requirements, such as maintaining staff-child ratios and meeting parents’ needs. The Timewise report provides practical tools and resources to help managers navigate these challenges. By adopting a proactive approach to flexible working, nurseries can create a more supportive and sustainable working environment without compromising the quality of care.
The UK government aims to expand access to childcare, which will require a substantial increase in the workforce. The report argues that flexible working is essential to meet these ambitions. By making the sector more attractive and sustainable for workers, flexible working can help ensure that the necessary workforce is in place to support expanded childcare provision.
The Timewise report is a vital resource for anyone involved in the early years sector. It provides a clear roadmap for implementing flexible working practices that can help address the current workforce crisis. By prioritizing staff wellbeing and creating more inclusive workplaces, the sector can attract and retain the skilled professionals needed to provide high-quality early childhood education and care.
For more detailed insights and practical recommendations, we encourage you to read the full report by Timewise here.
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The Childcare Challenge: Scope, Impact, and Recommendations by the Institute for Public Policy Research
The report “The Childcare Challenge: Scope, Impact, and Recommendations” by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) addresses the pressing issues within the UK’s childcare sector and offers comprehensive solutions to improve accessibility, affordability, and quality of childcare services.
The report emphasizes the critical role of childcare in supporting economic growth and social equity. It identifies key challenges, including high costs, limited availability, and workforce shortages, and proposes actionable recommendations to address these issues. The report highlights how affordable and accessible childcare can boost labor market participation, particularly among women, and contribute to economic growth. It also underscores the social benefits of high-quality early childhood education for children’s development.
There is a significant shortage of qualified childcare professionals, exacerbated by low wages and poor working conditions. The report calls for improved pay, professional development opportunities, and better working conditions to attract and retain skilled staff. It advocates for increased government investment in the childcare sector to make services more affordable and accessible. It also recommends policy changes to support flexible working arrangements for parents and to enhance the professional status of childcare workers.
The report suggests innovative approaches such as public-private partnerships, community-based childcare models, and the use of technology to improve service delivery and efficiency. The IPPR report provides a clear roadmap for addressing the challenges facing the childcare sector. By implementing these recommendations, the UK can create a more equitable and effective childcare system that supports both economic growth and social wellbeing.
For more detailed insights and practical recommendations, we encourage you to read the full report by IPPR here.
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The development of Birth to Five Matters guidance: reflections on the critical agency and collective advocacy of an English early childhood coalition by Nathan Archer
In 2019, the English government initiated revisions to the statutory Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) document and its associated non-statutory guidance. Concerns arose that early childhood experts were not sufficiently involved in drafting these documents. In response, an Early Years Coalition of early childhood organizations was formed to develop curriculum guidance “for the sector, by the sector.”
Nathan Archer’s article reflects on the critical agency and collective advocacy of this coalition. Drawing on contemporaneous documents and his own experiences as a contributor, Archer highlights the coalition’s efforts to ensure that diverse voices within the early childhood sector were heard and considered. The coalition’s work exemplifies how collective action and advocacy can influence policy and practice in early childhood education.
The coalition demonstrated the power of collective advocacy in shaping early childhood education policy. This collective effort underscores the importance of involving practitioners and experts in policy development. The diversity of the coalition’s members facilitated robust discussions and policy contestation, which were crucial for developing comprehensive and inclusive guidance.
The article emphasizes the potential for further collaborative advocacy to enhance the autonomy and professionalism of the early childhood workforce. This includes advocating for greater recognition of the expertise and contributions of early childhood educators. Archer concludes with reflections on the ongoing need for collaborative advocacy to support the early childhood workforce, including continuing to push for policies that recognize and support the critical role of early childhood educators.
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Corporatisation and Financialisation of Social Reproduction: Care Homes and Childcare in the United Kingdom by Sara R. Farris, Amy Horton, Eva Lloyd
The article “Corporatisation and Financialisation of Social Reproduction: Care Homes and Childcare in the United Kingdom” by Sara R. Farris, Amy Horton, and our steering committee member, Eva Lloyd examines the impact of corporatisation and financialisation on care services, specifically focusing on care homes and childcare. This study provides the first comparative analysis of ownership, business models, and workforces across these two sectors in the UK.
The article highlights the growing dominance of large companies in both childcare and adult social care sectors. These companies often employ financial strategies that prioritize investor returns, which can undermine access to care and worsen working conditions for the predominantly low-paid workforce. The study reveals a convergence in the business models of large companies in both sectors, driven by corporatisation and financialisation. This trend has significant implications for the quality and availability of care services.
The financial strategies of these companies often lead to cost-cutting measures that negatively affect working conditions. This includes low wages, job insecurity, and increased workloads for care workers. The article uses feminist social reproduction theory to explain how the political economy of low wages for care work devalues feminised and racialised caring labour. This devaluation is a critical issue that needs addressing to improve the status and conditions of care workers.
The authors call for policies that recognize and address the financialisation of care services. This includes advocating for better wages, job security, and working conditions for care workers. The article also identifies the need for further research to understand the differences between the childcare and adult social care sectors, map the geographies and political economies of care, and compare these processes internationally.
By understanding the effects of corporatisation and financialisation on the care workforce, stakeholders can advocate for policies that support better working conditions and recognize the essential role of care workers in society.
Full article: Corporatisation and Financialisation of Social Reproduction: Care Homes and Childcare in the United Kingdom
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Understanding the Care Workforce Crisis: A Research-Policy Relationship by Claire Cameron and Eva Lloyd
The article “Understanding the Care Workforce Crisis: A Research-Policy Relationship” by Claire Cameron and Eva Lloyd explores the critical relationship between research and policy in addressing the care workforce crisis. The authors emphasize the importance of investing in early childhood education and care (ECEC) to ensure positive outcomes for children and societal wellbeing.
The article highlights the significant role of the children’s workforce, which includes health visitors, early childhood education and care practitioners, and social workers. Despite the crucial nature of their work, there is a persistent inequity within the ECEC workforce. A minority of better-paid, qualified early years teachers work in publicly funded schools, while a larger group of poorly paid nursery or childcare workers are employed in the private-for-profit sector. This disparity in pay and conditions is both unjust and detrimental to optimizing children’s outcomes.
The ECEC workforce in England is characterized by a significant pay gap between qualified early years teachers and nursery or childcare workers. This inequity is exacerbated by the marketization of ECEC, which has led to a low-pay, low-cost model that is unaffordable for parents and less effective for children. The article discusses how care work is often devalued because it is predominantly performed by women. This devaluation is linked to societal perceptions that care work is low-skilled and inherently suited to women.
The authors argue for a closer relationship between research and policy to address these issues. They highlight the need for policies that recognize the professional status of care workers and provide better pay and working conditions. The article points to recent reforms in Ireland’s ECEC system as a positive example. These reforms include a comprehensive workforce plan that raises qualification levels, introduces a career framework, and supports recruitment, alongside a transformed funding model.
By understanding the care workforce crisis and advocating for policies that support better working conditions and recognize the essential role of care workers, stakeholders can help create a more equitable and effective ECEC system.
Full article: Understanding the care workforce crisis: a research-policy relationship | UCL IOE Blog
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