A crisis in the early years education workforce has been revealed in a report presented to the House of Commons.
57% of nursery staff and 38% of childminders are considering quitting the sector in the next year, according to research by the University of Leeds and the Early Education and Childcare Commission.
The study, ‘Retention and return: delivering the expansion of early years entitlement in England’, is being presented in the House of Commons as the Government prepares to roll out childcare expansion announced in the Spring Budget – aiming to offer 30 hours of ‘free childcare’ to eligible parents of nine-month-olds by 2025.
Estimates show that almost 50,000 extra workers would be needed in 2024 and again in 2025 to maintain the existing service and expand entitlement, but many providers are struggling to meet existing demand due to difficulties recruiting and retaining qualified staff.
The research combined a quantitative survey of almost 1,000 early years workers with interviews and focus groups involving 60 participants.
According to the report, just 17% of nursery managers said it was likely they would increase the number of places they offered, while 35% said they would limit the number of places they offered unless there was more government support to enable them to recruit and retain staff. Two-thirds (67%) of nurseries were already reporting average waiting times of almost six months for a place.
Lead author Professor Kate Hardy, from the Centre for Employment Relations, Innovation and Change (CERIC) at the University of Leeds, said: “Early years educators have a real thirst for training and continuing to improve their practice. But they desperately need paid time out from their working day, high quality training and their pay to rise in line with their growing capabilities. Investing in staff in the sector in this way is absolutely vital for stemming the tide of people exiting the sector and also for delivering the highest quality early education possible.”
Sarah Ronan, Director of the Early Education and Childcare Coalition, said: “Promising more free childcare without the infrastructure to deliver it is raising false hope among already struggling families. If the Government is to have any chance of delivering this expansion, it must listen to the people on the ground educating and caring for our children.
“Years of underfunding have left them underpaid, overworked and feeling disrespected. It doesn’t matter if it’s more free hours from this Government or wholesale reform from Labour, the fact is nothing will change for parents or children unless we have a well-paid and valued workforce.”
