New Year Wishes 2023: Overcoming challenges while supporting families

James Hempsall

Unbelievably we are approaching three years since the start of the pandemic, and naturally we remain in the grip of its impact on all aspects of our work and lives. We are all busy doing what we can to counter this and help children and families through high-quality early years and childcare provision, and wider services. That must remain our primary focus.

To do that we must look after ourselves. I am certainly expecting to continue supporting children, families, practitioners and providers to cope both in wellbeing and in business terms, and indeed thrive, despite the enormous challenges we all face socially, professionally, educationally and economically. That is a huge task, we can all agree on that.

We will stand a greater chance of thriving if we all come together in more meaningful ways to share agreed constructive definitions and language around what we do (and don’t), through collaborative aims and objectives, and positively framed and properly evidenced ‘asks’ of decision-makers, and new proposals and partnerships with wider colleagues – let's let people into early years like never before.

Dr Sharon Colilles, senior lecturer of early childhood studies at Bath Spa University and member of the Early Years Black List

In a year where the early years sector has faced challenges such as significant staffing crisis, sustainability concerns, as well as ongoing concerns surrounding curricula reform and reviews, I am also deeply mindful of children that have experienced conflict. My hopes and dreams for the year ahead involve a slowing-down approach in early childhood education. Creating space and ways for interconnectedness with nature and its ability to enable children's holistic learning and development. Where in respectful and reciprocal relationships pedagogy also reflects on the need for co-regulation to support children's emotional wellbeing.

My priorities are to continue acting as an advocate for children's play; for participating in rich dialogue that embraces understanding about the need for ‘listening’ to the perspectives of our youngest citizens. Particularly their sense of self, sense of belonging, and sense of a positive self-identity.

Bhav Mehta, managing director of Fledglings Pre-school in Stockport

We are all aware that the implications and developmental setbacks of Covid-19 potentially reduced opportunities for children to develop certain skills; particularly language and social development. However, over time, children have proved how extraordinary and resilient they are and that with support and intervention, children are thriving and narrowing the gaps each and every day.

Our vision at Fledglings Pre-School and Nursery for 2023 would focus on further developing the ‘magic’ of early years. We hope to strengthen our focus on language development and support children to ensure that they are confident, inquisitive, and that they develop a ‘love of learning’ to last them a lifetime.

We have particularly enjoyed establishing links within the Bramhall (Cheshire) community, and our regular visits to the local residential home have not only supported the children but the residents too. Early years most certainly is such a remarkable sector and I am well and truly privileged to work alongside such a motivated, talented and inspiring team of professionals. I am certain that together, we can excel in our vision.

Leah Turner, Owen Froebel

Following a tumultuous 2022 at times, especially with the loss of the Welcome Nursery group, my hope for 2023 is that this is the first and last casualty of the industry in these difficult times. While Welcome was self-funded, the increase in private equity is resulting in a marked increase in micro-operators who will be studying how Welcome grew its brand to see where they can avoid making the same mistakes and start building their groups on a firm footing.

It will be a trying year at times, with the increase in the minimum wage putting a tighter squeeze on many smaller settings especially. But this is a tough and resilient sector, and I am confident that individual nursery owners will continue to strive and grow, and it will be a successful 2023 all round.

Lewis and Zoe Steeper of the Oliver Steeper Foundation

The Oliver Steeper Foundation (@TOSFoundationUK) aims to become a registered charity within the next few months. Our objective is to provide emergency grants to parents whose children are taken to hospital requiring critical care at very short notice. Specialist treatment in PICUs often involves a lot of travelling and being away from home – we want to reduce financial stresses short term to parents who are in the same situation as we have been through.

On top of this, we are working with Kent County Council to develop a ‘safer eating campaign’ to be rolled out nationally in early years settings.

We also continue to strive to halt changes to the adult:child ratio proposed by the Government following our petition, which was debated in Parliament in November 2022. Supporting families in need and keeping children safe in early years settings will be Oliver's legacy.

Rebekah Jackson Reece, managing director of the Out of School Alliance (OOSA)

Here at Out of School Alliance we've big ambitions for the out-of-school sector in 2023. We hope to gain recognition of the crucial role played by the sector in the economy through supporting parents to work and train, but most importantly the part we play in children's lives. This is a vital step in moving forwards with professionalisation of the sector, but this starts with access to funded, appropriate qualification routes for playwork and childcare that are supported by apprenticeship funding to develop and attract workers into the sector.

We must prioritise action that protects out-of-school businesses from school takeover through clear and effective schools’ guidance on commissioning services. Through this, we hope to provide stability and confidence for providers to continue to grow to meet families’ needs and provide magical play experiences for children.

Kate Peach, nursery owner and founder of Peachwell consultancy

As a nursery owner, someone needs to sit down with us as an industry, and decide what constitutes a properly qualified nursery teacher. The biggest problem with the recruitment crisis is untapped talent. On many, many occasions you have staff who are classed as unqualified, but they can be as good or better as qualified staff. I’ve had more than 30 applicants for a job, but I can’t interview them or employ any of them because they are not Level 3.

My hopes and dreams are that as an industry we look at what we're doing with our two-year-olds, particularly because with the current cohort we are seeing delays with speech and language after the pandemic. I mix age groups at my nursery – we have under-twos and over-twos. We find that when we put our two-year-olds with three- and four-year-olds, their speech and language, their behaviour, capabilities, their independence just rockets. We’re encouraging our clients to mix age groups and consider how capable two-year-olds can be and what we can do to aid their development. One nursery we worked with a year ago did a communication and language assessment before they mixed them, and two months after that saw the biggest, fastest development.

The real reason we put children into age groups is because it's easier for the nursery's planning and organisation to manage ratios.

We need a proper, sensible review and we need the industry to be brave and stop the hysteria around ratios for two-year-olds. I don’t condone people saying that a change in ratios would save money. I’d like to see a review because I think we’re failing our two-year-olds. I want nurseries to be more creative and think about what those individual groups need.

Sarah Watkins, author, lecturer and Forest School leader

My hopes and dreams for 2023 are centred around the memory of Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah. Ella died of an asthma attack aged nine and is the first person to have air pollution listed as a cause of death. We need serious investment in clean, green energy so that children are no longer subjected to life-endangering levels of air pollution.

Children whose families are experiencing the greatest financial hardship tend to suffer the worst effects of air pollution. Social equity is one of the three pillars of sustainability and the Government needs to act more quickly to protect the children in settings who are most vulnerable and socially disadvantaged.

Ella lived in an area of London where the levels of nitrogen dioxide from traffic constantly exceeded the annual legal limits. Had she grown up in a different area, she might still be alive. My dream is that every baby and child has the right to clean air.

June O'Sullivan, CEO, London Early Years Foundation

I hope that 2023 becomes the year of the young child when the public show their support for why every child has the right to a brilliant early years experience. This means that despite all the challenges, the sector begins to own its expert status and professional language so that everyone involved can talk about the art, craft and science of early years teaching with joy and confidence.

I also hope that the idea of the child as a ‘global citizen’ comes to the fore, underpinned by a true understanding of inclusion and equity, and our progress is not derailed by political campaigns that are often divisive, ill-informed and miss the point. And, finally, I want to start a community of practice to raise the sustainability banner across England and dance us merrily into 2023.

Dionne Pullen, co-founder of the Early Years Equality action group

Hope. A simple yet powerful concept, and one we're sure all can agree has been stretched to breaking point during recent years in the early years… and ‘hope’ is what Early Years Equality will bring back in 2023.

In 2023, we will finally become co-ordinated and we WILL have our voice heard!

We will start by introducing innovative County Hubs for all (practitioners, childminders, owners, etc.), facilitating much-needed local-level support, guidance and help. EYE will win the battle to remove the word ‘free’ from all legislative literature and advertising. And, finally, we will provide real action, such as protest marches, strikes/lockouts (for better funding), alongside free online resources and fighting the big and the little battles for our providers. To sum up our aim for 2023, we will reintroduce hope. To find your hope, join us for free at www.earlyyearsequality.com.

Karen Derbyshire, head of early years at Realise

The priority for 2023 is clear: we need to attract new, passionate talent into early years.

The key to achieving this is to make people aware it can be a long-term career bursting with opportunities and benefits.

We deliver apprenticeships for some of the leading providers in the country and they are all committed to offering their people exciting and realistic progression paths. The options are endless.

Just as importantly, early years needs to retain talent – and that is down to recognition and investment. The first five years are vital for practitioners and this needs to be recognised, with the funding received reflecting that.

At Realise, we are determined to play our part in the continued success of early years. As a new year dawns, we’re looking forward to helping new entrants start their journeys, as well as guiding our Level 5 learners as they start their progression to BA top-ups.