Editor's view - let's get the facts heard

'The worst idea that a person in government has ever had'! That verdict on the proposed changes to staff:child ratios from Guardian journalist Zoe Williams after her morning looking after six two-year-olds is certainly an arresting soundbite!

There are dangers, however, in pushing the line that ratios shouldn't be changed just because an untrained person finds handling greater numbers of children impossible. This can end up serving to diminish the professionalism of early years education and care.

And the vast majority of the early years sector agrees that relaxing ratios for babies and toddlers would be hugely detrimental to the quality of their care and education. However well qualified you are, it is not possible to give four babies or six two-year-olds the individual attention, love and cuddles that they need all by yourself. If we are concerned about the problems many children have with communication, speech and language, this is not the way to go.

So how do we push for change? The ratio proposals in particular have provoked a rising storm of protest. Much of this has been very emotional - not surprising as practitioners are very passionate about what they do.

But this could end up being counter-productive. It is easy to dismiss such responses, however heartfelt, as a kneejerk reaction against change of any sort. What is needed is rational lobbying, based on rigorous research about what is best for young children's development.

There is plenty out there, from OECD and others, as Julian Grenier points out in his 'Inside the Secret Garden' blog. Hardly prudent, he argues, for England 'to take a course of action in contradiction to the very best evidence we have from current, international and peer-reviewed research'. Let's get the message heard!