New Year: The sector reveals its hopes and ambitions for 2024

Rebecca Clevett, nursery director, Archfield House Nursery, Bristol – Nursery World Nursery of the Year 2023

We are looking ahead to 2024 with a mix of excitement as well as trepidation.

We were thrilled to be awarded ‘Nursery of the Year’ as well as maintaining our Outstanding. However, the trepidation stems from the continued sector uncertainty. We are about to embark on the early years expansion of ‘funded’ childcare. But we need to expand our workforce before this can successfully be implemented as well as receive fair funding, for all ages.

Our hope is we can work together to share the huge potential of working with the youngest children, a rewarding career awaits.

We are full of ambition for our growing relationship as a partner setting of the Bristol & Beyond Stronger Practice Hub; supporting settings to share good practice, network, and access support and sector-driven CPD. Do check out your local hub for a wealth of support and knowledge.

Finally, we hope and dream for some stability, consistency and a sprinkle of ‘magic’ so committed early years professionals can focus on ensuring every child thrives in their first five years and beyond!

Janet King, sector manager, Education and Childcare at NCFE

In 2024, we must ensure early years professionals receive the development opportunities and training they need and deserve to deliver the best outcomes for babies, children and families, as well as progress in their own careers. Alongside this, those studying early years should feel confident their learning is setting them up for a successful career. NCFE is working to achieve this and I'm excited about some of the collaborative opportunities ahead in the next 12 months, particularly around creating a framework for scaffolded learning and development at all levels and stages.

I'd also like to see a sense of professional pride blossom in early years; a sense of pride through the outcomes we deliver, pride in being part of this fantastic sector, and pride when advocating for early years.

Gill Jones, Busy Bees Group quality and safeguarding lead

Since I joined Busy Bees a year ago, I've had the privilege of witnessing how our early years care and education is delivered across four continents, comparing international approaches and sharing best practice. What I've seen gives me great hope and encouragement. I'm excited to continue to develop high-quality learning experiences for children and can't wait to help our colleagues build on their skills and knowledge.

I'm pleased that, as a sector, we are collaborating to raise the profile of rewarding, quality careers in childcare and look forward to welcoming many more passionate people who are committed to giving our children the best start in life.

Andrew K. Steen, sales and marketing director, Redwoods Dowling Kerr

As we look ahead to 2024, my hope is for a period of economic good news which relieves the cost-of-living pressure on families throughout the UK. A potential change in government may bring uncertainty but it may also bring a long overdue increase in fees paid to our fantastic childcare providers who do such an amazing job providing world- class care to our young ones.

Shona Goudie, policy and advocacy manager, The Food Foundation

In 2024, we need to see policymakers start taking the critical importance of a healthy diet in the early years seriously, guaranteeing that all children – especially families struggling on low incomes – have access to proper nutrition from birth. The cost-of-living crisis has had a devastating impact on families' ability to afford healthy food for their children, posing a significant threat to the long-term health of our youngest children. The Government's Healthy Start scheme (weekly payments to help low-income families with pre-school children afford fruit, veg and other healthy foods) requires urgent expansion so no child living in poverty misses out, and payments must be boosted to cover higher food prices. With an impending election, these commitments to investing in our children's nutrition and health need to be a number-one priority for all political parties.

Sarah Ronan, director, Early Education and Childcare Coalition 

Our hope is that 2024 will see us move towards a much more equitable early years system, and away from the current model that determines a child's right to access education and care based on the employment status of their parents. We'll be using our collective influence and voice to push all parties to be ambitious and bold in their manifestos.

Dr Stella Louis, winner of the Nursery World Lifetime Achievement and Trainer of the Year Awards 2023

Anyone who knows me knows I have always been interested in observing and supporting children's schemas. This is because schemas are linked to child development and are always adjusting and changing in light of children's experiences and responses from others.

Knowledge of schemas enables us to observe the conceptual concepts that children are experimenting with. Understanding schemas involves more than just identifying them. For example, a child observed lining up their big cars on one side of the table and the smaller ones opposite in a line. They used the big cars to push the smaller ones off the table. They are not simply just lining up cars. They are ready to learn about size and weight.

Many mathematical ideas depend on comparison, knowing what is meant by same and different. Children need educators that know how to help them gain a deeper comprehension of the particular concepts they are exploring. My wish is that all educators are knowledgeable and confident about developing concepts behind particular schemas.

Alaina Packer, Our Nursery Schools Matter campaigner, and maintained nursery school governor

Our hopes and dreams for 2024 centre around preserving our much-needed and much-loved maintained nursery schools and the crucial early education and care that they provide. We know that inclusive, high-quality early education and support transforms lives; this must be championed.

Having spent the latter part of this year campaigning to protect these exceptional community assets, the Mayor of Croydon, Jason Perry, agreed to do everything possible to secure the futures of our nursery schools. Our hope is Croydon honours this, and demonstrates a commitment to safeguarding and prioritising our youngest residents and their families.

We know the fight for our nursery schools is far from over, and we remain committed to our local and national fight to protect them. Beyond Croydon, we hope for universally accessible and fully funded high-quality early years education for all children.

Ellen Broomé, head of Coram Family and Childcare

2024 will be a key year for our sector as we prepare for the implementation of the Government's welcome extension of childcare support. I hope that many more families are able to take up their new entitlements; parents – particularly mothers – are able to return to work or take on more hours; and childcare providers are supported to manage the extension.

I want to see a stronger focus on supporting the childcare workforce. Real investment is needed to address the significant ongoing challenges of recruitment and retention, and to boost practitioners’ and providers’ skills

But to achieve childcare's full potential, we need to go further, reforming the system to make it simpler for families, and better able to meet children's needs. We need a greater commitment to ensuring disadvantaged children and children with SEND can access childcare that helps them thrive and benefit from better outcomes.

Richardson, Naturally Learning, winner of NW's Nursery Group of the Year 2023

2024 promises to be a very busy year. We have plans to open a new site and acquire an additional 80-place nursery, which will provide us with a different challenge, working with an existing team to embed our ethos while retaining the nursery's individuality.

We will also be working on further developing our forest site to provide more opportunities for even more children to enjoy the amazing experience nature provides. We will continue to reflect on and create a magical childhood inspired by travels to Denmark.

All these plans will require a dedicated and diverse team, working together to provide the best possible experience for children. So, we will be developing our own and recruiting new people to join our family. All this will take place in the still uncertain financial climate – nobody is sure yet what the new funding changes will mean. This job always will be challenging. But while it's making a difference to our children, we will keep doing what we do best. Early years educators are resilient.

Dr Helen Edwards, co-founder of Tapestry and former nursery owner

My wish for early years education in 2024 is that we manage to find a solution which delivers enough places without sacrificing high quality provision. Funding for more places is important, but it should not come at the expense of investing in the workforce and providing a child-centred education.

We need policymakers to demonstrate greater vision and bravery, to be solution focused, and most importantly, really value early education and the workforce that makes it possible.

Charlotte Greeno, Nursery World Childminder of the Year 2023

It seems 2024 is likely to be a turbulent year for the sector. With a staffing shortage, Government policy changes and an updated EYFS, I think it is only fair that every early years professional takes a deep breath.

The children must continue to be our priority. With this in mind, my priority in the wider context is to help bolster the early years sector, by ensuring we are not devalued. I will continue to promote best practice, professionalism and to challenge negative commentary of our roles. To protect our professionalism protects the education of young children.

In my own setting I aim to continue helping families to raise a generation of humans who are kind, knowledgeable about the world and who are ready to face the challenges the world is going to throw at them through skills they have gained in their formative years.