Mother's help, nurserymaid, nannie, nursery nurse, educator, practitioner, teacher, childminder… professionals working with babies and young children have gone through significant transformations in job role during the past century, evolving in response to social, economic and legislative changes.
Nursery World has adapted to reflect those changes – from proudly declaring on the cover of its first issue in 1925 that it was for ‘mothers and nurses’ to a shift in the 1980s to concentrate on professional workers. We continue to champion all those working in the early years.
Job roles have shifted from traditional domestic positions to structured professional careers, with changing job titles reflecting advancements in training, policy and public perception. How to address professionals working in early years continues to be debated.
WHAT'S IN A NAME
The term ‘nursery nurse’ originated from the traditional role of children's nurses employed to provide medical and developmental care to babies and young children. Wealthy families employed people to provide in-home care for their children, and our readers were mainly nannies working in privileged homes – even Royal households subscribed. These early childcare workers were given more status in the household than other paid staff.
During WWII, more women needed to work, which led to an increase in more formal childcare. The mid-20th century saw an expansion in nursery education and state-supported childcare. In 1945, the Labour government launched the National Nursery Examination Board with a standard qualification, the much-lauded NNEB. No entry qualifications were initially required, which could be argued led to society incorrectly regarding early education and care as unskilled.
While nursery schools were prevalent, by the 1970s and 80s, more women were seeking jobs and needed childcare that would fit with their working hours, leading to day nurseries becoming more widespread. The term ‘nursery nurse’ remained common but with a growing emphasis on education.
The role of early years professionals has continued to become more structured and education-focused. The introduction of the original Early Years Foundation Stage in 2008 set new standards, and job titles evolved to reflect the changes of supporting learning and development, rather than solely care. Early years ‘educator’ or ‘practitioner’ replaced the title of nursery nurse in many settings.
SEEKING STATUS
Unfortunately, the evolution of job titles has yet to bring the recognition and respect that many in the profession want – and deserve. Despite increasing demands, professionals continue to be underpaid and undervalued.
In 2017, LEYF pledged to call all childcare workers ‘teachers’ in order to capture their shared expertise and the ‘true essence’ of their work.
This issue was revisited at our Business Summit in March. Staff were urged to take ownership of the language they use to describe the profession. Hannah Betteridge, co-author of Let's Talk About Bias in the Early Years, said, ‘If we think of the development in a child's brain from nought to five… you're taking on the role of an educator. It is not just childcare.’
In response on social media, one commentator reacted with derision and said to ‘read the room’. Yes, there are bigger issues threatening the viability of the sector, but by taking control of the narrative and placing value on the essential role, it can help increase status, and in turn recognition and funding, benefiting professionals and children too.
‘Nurse’
‘The provisions made by the Minister of Health to control the use of the title “Nurse”… does not mean that children may no longer call their nurses “Nurse” or “Nannie”. The main purpose of the Act is to safeguard people from the services of women who call themselves “nurse” without any qualifications at all… Children's nurses are recognised as a special category and need have no fear that they will be doing wrong in continuing to apply to themselves a word whose first dictionary meaning is “woman employed to take charge of an infant.”’
25 November 1945
London Early Years Foundation Teachers
‘In August 2017, 300 childcare practitioners from the London Early Years Foundation (LEYF) filed into London Hilton Metropole. They were there for the nursery provider's annual conference, a gathering that offers LEYF staff the opportunity to learn and develop their practice – to be the best they can be for our children. But when they left they were no longer practitioners. Instead, they were now nursery teachers.’
6 March 2019
