Recently in government and in the media, there has been a lot of discussion about the high cost of childcare in England. In the light of rising household costs and with a recession looming, this is hardly surprising. But the government solution – to reduce the ratio of how many children an adult can look after in an attempt to lower the price for parents – leads to a misperception about the importance of early years carers when it comes to outcomes for young children.
Early educators are naturally concerned about what proposed changes may mean for them in practice. When the government seems to see early years care as babysitting, it is bad for the sector and bad for kids. The sector is already under significant pressure, with serious recruitment and retention problems (with 8 in 10 settings struggling to recruit staff and over one third of respondents considering leaving the sector). In this context, the policy may backfire and damage an already fragile sector.
