CYP Now - Pandemic Heroes: is it time for the early years and childcare workforce to get the recognition they truly deserve?

The coronavirus pandemic has created enormous challenges for the childcare sector with the latest twist being that despite schools, colleges and higher education institutions instructed to either close or revert to online learning, Early Years settings are to remain open.

The government are deeming it too dangerous for schools to open; however, the same considerations have been overlooked for the early years and childcare sector.

This demonstrates further the disparity between the treatment of staff employed within the education sector and those who are employed within the early years and childcare sector.

As a result, a petition to parliament was launched in light of the government announcement on 4th January 2021, campaigning to ‘Shut all nurseries and early years settings during lockdown’. Within a matter of hours, signatures reached over 58,000, with this figure currently still rising, demonstrating overwhelming support for the Early Years and Childcare sector (Parliament UK, 2021).

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