A national committee has been set up and a meeting to discuss the union's infrastructure was held on Monday (10 March).
Helen Willis, a regional officer at Aspect, said, 'The aim of our EYP section is to provide a forum for EYPs to have a voice for the national agenda of their own roles and EYP status as a whole. The aim to have an EYP in every setting by 2015 is going to require a huge expansion and there will have to be a huge expansion in the understanding of this role and its purpose.'
She said many EYPs had approached Aspect to ask what support they could receive, and the union is the result.
'Looking at the new status, there are no pay arrangements at all at the moment - it's up to the individual settings,' Ms Willis added. 'To make more professional settings and professional models you need assurances about pay, so a key concern is lobbying for an effective national pay structure.'
'EYPs have come to us saying they want something to happen. Some are saying, "We are told that EYP status is the equivalent to the QTS teaching status, but what does that mean? Why don't we have a similar pay structure?" And what that means in practice is not clear.'
She said there was also concern about the relationship between EYPs and their colleagues within early years settings - for example, the relationship between an EYP and a children's centre manager - and what protocols would be governing that.
'The Government will have to put a much clearer framework in place to attract the right people into the job and keep them there,' said Ms Willis.
Any EYPs or trainee EYPs are being invited to join the union at www.aspect.org.uk.
