The impact of COVID-19 on the provision of Early Years childcare in England and Wales
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Leeds
Department Name: Leeds University Business School (LUBS)
Abstract
Early Years (EY) childcare is critical to the UK economy and society given its positive impact on child development and wellbeing. Without the provision of formal and informal childcare, parents will not be able to return to work during or after the COVID-19 crisis, which will exacerbate intra- and inter-household inequalities. This will be includes notably gender inequalities given women's working-lives are impacted most by the absence of EY and informal childcare through families and friendship networks.
The urgent challenges that this research will address in the context of COVID-19 are in relation to:
1) Disruption to and sustainability of provision
Formal childcare faced financial difficulties before COVID-19 (Penn et al 2011) and 1 in 4 nurseries said that they may not reopen after the crisis (EYA 2020). It is critical to generate empirical evidence on why and where these closures are occurring, what closures will mean for families, how the changing EY landscape and its sustainability will impact on returns to work and gender and socio-economic (in)equalities. Additionally, it is essential to understand the impact on home-based and informal care. Pre-COVID-19, thousands of nannies and childminders and five million grandparents regularly provided childcare. We will generate knowledge of their ability to provide care, as well as parental responses to loss of informal support and the implications for EY provision.
2) Ensuring safe environments for workers, children and families.
Childcare necessitates close physical proximity. Some social distancing and safety measures have been enacted, but better understandings are needed of the challenges this poses for providing
safe EY environments, and the additional financial pressures it brings. There is an urgent need to understand how staff, children and families who are clinically vulnerable, and may not be able to
return to group settings can be supported.
The research seeks to find out:
- What are the key pressures on EY childcare provision as a result of COVID-19?
- How will the landscape of formal and informal childcare provision change during and after COVID-19?
- How can sufficient provision be ensured and made sustainable and safe for providers, staff and families?
- How can a more sustainable future for the EY childcare sector be created?
This project will respond to these questions and challenges via four Work Packages (WPs):
WP1: Nursery and pre-school group providers. A survey of 1000 nurseries over two waves complemented by qualitative interviews with 25 nursery managers and 50 nursery workers across two waves to capture change over time.
WP2: Home-based childcare workers: A survey of 500 nannies and 500 childminders plus qualitative interviews with 25 nannies and 25 childminders over the same two waves.
WP3: Parents and grandparents: A survey of up to 1000 parents of children aged 0-4 years old, over two waves complemented by qualitative interviews with 25 parents and 25 grandparents who provide at least one day of childcare pre COVID-19 for 0-4 year-olds.
WP4: Case studies of four different countries, 2-4 expert interviews with key stakeholders in EY childcare provision, to explore best practice in other contexts and draw lessons for developing policy in the UK.
This project will be the first to generate detailed, longitudinal evidence on the immediate and longer-term impacts that COVID-19 has on different types of formal and informal childcare provision across England and Wales. The evidence generated will provide urgently needed insight into the challenges of delivering sustainable childcare in the UK following COVID-19 and potential impact of loss of both formal and informal provision of care.
The urgent challenges that this research will address in the context of COVID-19 are in relation to:
1) Disruption to and sustainability of provision
Formal childcare faced financial difficulties before COVID-19 (Penn et al 2011) and 1 in 4 nurseries said that they may not reopen after the crisis (EYA 2020). It is critical to generate empirical evidence on why and where these closures are occurring, what closures will mean for families, how the changing EY landscape and its sustainability will impact on returns to work and gender and socio-economic (in)equalities. Additionally, it is essential to understand the impact on home-based and informal care. Pre-COVID-19, thousands of nannies and childminders and five million grandparents regularly provided childcare. We will generate knowledge of their ability to provide care, as well as parental responses to loss of informal support and the implications for EY provision.
2) Ensuring safe environments for workers, children and families.
Childcare necessitates close physical proximity. Some social distancing and safety measures have been enacted, but better understandings are needed of the challenges this poses for providing
safe EY environments, and the additional financial pressures it brings. There is an urgent need to understand how staff, children and families who are clinically vulnerable, and may not be able to
return to group settings can be supported.
The research seeks to find out:
- What are the key pressures on EY childcare provision as a result of COVID-19?
- How will the landscape of formal and informal childcare provision change during and after COVID-19?
- How can sufficient provision be ensured and made sustainable and safe for providers, staff and families?
- How can a more sustainable future for the EY childcare sector be created?
This project will respond to these questions and challenges via four Work Packages (WPs):
WP1: Nursery and pre-school group providers. A survey of 1000 nurseries over two waves complemented by qualitative interviews with 25 nursery managers and 50 nursery workers across two waves to capture change over time.
WP2: Home-based childcare workers: A survey of 500 nannies and 500 childminders plus qualitative interviews with 25 nannies and 25 childminders over the same two waves.
WP3: Parents and grandparents: A survey of up to 1000 parents of children aged 0-4 years old, over two waves complemented by qualitative interviews with 25 parents and 25 grandparents who provide at least one day of childcare pre COVID-19 for 0-4 year-olds.
WP4: Case studies of four different countries, 2-4 expert interviews with key stakeholders in EY childcare provision, to explore best practice in other contexts and draw lessons for developing policy in the UK.
This project will be the first to generate detailed, longitudinal evidence on the immediate and longer-term impacts that COVID-19 has on different types of formal and informal childcare provision across England and Wales. The evidence generated will provide urgently needed insight into the challenges of delivering sustainable childcare in the UK following COVID-19 and potential impact of loss of both formal and informal provision of care.
Publications
| Description | Significant Achievements - Developed a significant and extensive evidence base on the experiences of the early years sector (including families as well as providers) during the covid-19 pandemic. This consists of over 5000 survey responses (3033 in wave 1 and 2509 in Wave 2) and 300 interviews (187 in Wave 1 and 134 in Wave 2) - Published a series of briefings and held a number of knowledge exchanged webinars, focused on orientating the findings towards specific practitioner and policy maker audiences - Developed and deepened relationships with key industry actors, including Early Years Alliance, Coram Family and Childcare, the Department for Education - Established a new research agenda in the area of work and employment studies in the early years sector, working with industry actors including Early Years Alliance; Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years; Coram Family and Childcare The core findings sought to answer the following objectives: - Explore how the pandemic has disrupted the early years education and childcare sector across England and Wales - Understand how providers and parents are managing these disruptions and what this might mean for the safety and sustainability of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) The findings to the objectives are as follows: ECEC workforce and sector: • The financial impacts on nurseries during COVID-19 may lead to the closure of some settings, but even for those that stay open there is evidence that it is negatively affecting the quality of provision • COVID-19 has exacerbated many of pre-existing challenges for nursery practitioners and data collected reveal a workforce overworked, neglected in policy terms and increasingly likely to leave the profession • Morale is extremely low and there has been a net loss of workers in the sector during the pandemic, leading to an intensified recruitment and retention crisis • Lack of sick pay was a serious occupational hazard during COVID-19 and a major cause of lost income for workers across the sector • For childminders COVID-19 resulted in reduced child numbers and hours of paid work, and loss of income • Despite some recovery by July 2021, most childminders now have a lower income than before the pandemic • Income loss during COVID-19 is likely to have placed a substantial proportion of childminders below the poverty line; 32% of childminders earned less than £10,000 in 2020/21 • Childminders resorted to measures including using personal savings (38.5%), selling personal belongings (21.6%) and relying on partners' income (33%) • Older childminders are more likely to be considering leaving the sector, taking with them substantial experience and knowledge • Experiences of nannies were split during the pandemic in terms of job stability (working hours) and job security • Shared experiences of nannies included work intensification and a lack of recognition by both employers and the Government • Use of Universal Credit amongst nannies peaked during 2020 and then reduced in 2021, but remained almost three times higher than before the pandemic • Those nannies with reduced income and reduced hours tended to be more experienced and older. This suggests a significant care- and brain-drain from the sector Parents, children and families: • Inequalities and disadvantage have been exacerbated through the pandemic - those families and children from more disadvantaged backgrounds who are most likely to benefit from ECEC support were least likely to be able to access or use formal ECEC • Uneven spatial impacts on attendance and the sustainability of settings suggests that 'levelling up' will require urgent and sustained investment in ECEC • COVID-19 has intensified long-term issues around affordability of ECEC for parents • Working mothers were more likely than working fathers to say that access to childcare during the COVID-19 pandemic impacted on their ability to work 'as usual' in both 2020 (Wave 1) and 2021 (Wave 2) • Twice as many women than men (Wave 2) said that the difficulty accessing childcare was affecting their career progression (31.8% compared to 15.2%) • Parents (and particularly mothers) report substantial, sustained and ongoing negative impact on their wellbeing and mental health throughout the pandemic • Parents reported substantial, sustained and ongoing negative impacts on their children's development and wellbeing due to lockdowns, restrictions on households mixing and the pandemic more broadly. • ECEC will play an essential role in the catch-up and recovery for children under 5 |
| Exploitation Route | Academic: - Academic authors in sociology, law and education may use the findings to develop a better understanding of the nature of work and employment in the early years sector - It is likely to influence debates around post-covid recovery Non-academic: - MPs: we have briefed both Helen Hayes (Shadow Minister - Education) and Bridget Phillipson (Shadow Secretary of State for Education), who intend to use the findings to develop national education policy for the UK Labour Party - Early Years Alliance and Coram Family and Childcare intend to use our findings in order to campaign and lobby politicians for support and funding for the early years sector, in particular focusing on the negative impacts on quality from covid - A number of Local Authority representatives attended our final report launch, they may use the findings to influence their local level policies on early years - Overall the findings are likely to be used to advocate for change in early years provision and particularly in relation to the funding structures and employment conditions of early years |
| Sectors | Education |
| URL | http://www.childcare-during-covid.org |
| Description | This award has just ended (less than three weeks ago) and as a Rapid Response grant much of the 16 months was dedicated to generating an extensive evidence base and disseminating this data quickly, as such we envisage much of the impact being built upon and developed over the next 6 months to 1 year. The research undertaken through this project has been well-placed to generate impact in campaigning and policy priorities, information and advice of key sectoral advocates and actors, as we have worked closely from the incenption of the project with our Digital Advisory Board (DAB), composed of policy actors, professional organizations and sector actors in the early years (EY) sector and for working parents. ? Among EY professional organizations and sector advocates, we have shifted the framing of understandings of the effect of Covid on the sector from one of 'closures' towards an emphasis on the widespread effect that Covid and its financial impact has had on the quality of care provision ? Our finding that it is more experienced staff leaving the sector has prompted interest from workforce unit in DfE (Laura Hunnikin), who have requested further analysis of our data to understand the extent and dynamics of issue ? Helen Hayes MP and Bridget Phillipson are interested in our recommendation of providing core infrastructure to address volatility in the sector and are consulting us further about how to develop early education ? We will be presenting our data to the WBG-hosted childcare coalition so that it can inform their strategic priorities. In order to disseminate the research and generate impact we have developed a number of channels, these include ongoing dialogue with our Digital Advisory Board, which include policymakers, professional organisations and sector actors in the early years sector and for working parents. We have established a Twitter (480 followers) and a mailing list with 640 subscribers. We attracted over 300 sign ups to our end of project report launch, which was hosted by Helen Hayes MP (Shadow Minister for Education). Practitioners and sector campaigners We have communicated with practitioners (including nursery managers, nursery workers, childminders and nannies) directly through our Digital Advisory Board, through seminars and briefings, the practitioners main publication "Nurseryworld" has run a series of pieces on the research, including a long form piece on our final report. The research has been well received by practitioners representing the sector, including at representative bodies such as Early Years Alliance, PACEY and also more broadly in Think Tanks campaigning around the issue of access to high quality childcare. Allie Bell, who represents UK nannies stated they will: "look to use this evidence to strengthen continual professional development for nannies through our services and network, educate and grow confidence within the categories they are feeling unsure about and challenge the organisations that are responsible for the support of nannies to relay information they are seeking in a better and more informative format". At least two nurseries (Curiosity Approach and Children's Choice Nursery) shared an opinion piece developed from the project in Nursery World with their families and parents through newsletters and as a way of thanking nursery workers for the work that they had done during the pandemic. Further impact has been generated by informing campaigning and advocacy of sector organizations Professional Association for Childcare & Early Years (PACEY) and British Association of Professional Nannies (BAPN). Our evidence on the unrecognised knowledge and skills of workers can support the EYA campaign seeking pay parity for EY staff with teachers and for professionalisation of nannies and childminders. Policy-makers Significant work has already been undertaken to disseminate findings through briefings to relevant policy bodies (APPGs; Spending Review; POSTnotes) and media activities (webinars, blog posts, national and industry media coverage). Our data has been presented to DfE, DWP, BEIS and HMRC and requested for evidence by Laura Hunnikin, senior research officer, DfE. Our research strongly complements DfE work and a continued relationship will ensure our research informs national policy development. We have held a number of events to feed back to national level policy-makers, including at the Department for Education and the Department for Work and Presentation. At our Linking Leeds seminar, 63% of 46 attendees said that the presentation was "very relevant or relevant". Our data and research was also cited by Coram in their submission to the Spending Review (2021). The research has generated impact by informing the analysis and recommendations submitted by our partner, Coram, to the Spending Review 2021. CDC evidence is cited twice in witness statements to the House of Lords Select Committee on Covid-19 and in a POSTnote on the EY work programme. Michael Freeston (Director of Quality Improvement, Early Years Alliance) has requested our data for use in a Westminster insights presentation. In addition, at the regional scale, the project generated impact by provided qualitative and quantitative data analysis to Play Wales to inform their consultation submission to Sendedd Consultation on childcare. New Research Agendas Work and employment conditions in the early years sector is an under-researched area of study. Although this project was focused on the impact of Covid-19, a new research agenda is coalescing around broader labour issues in this area. For example, the research was cited in the Nuffield Foundation report 'The role of early childhood education and care in shaping life chances'. In order to take this agenda forward, we are in the process of developing a 'Early Years Employment Research Hub' at Leeds which will grow out of the research, with the aim of coalescing and bringing research expertise together with industry practitioners to answer vital questions about how to answer urgent social challenges relating to labour markets and working conditions in Early Years. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2020 |
| Sector | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Education |
| Impact Types | Societal,Economic,Policy & public services |
| Description | "Rewage" policy briefing |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Impact | None to date |
| URL | https://childcare-during-covid.org/4-briefing-paper-rewage-advisory-group-policy-recommendations/ |
| Description | Briefing - Chancellor of the Exchequer |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
| Impact | The government has increased the numbers of 'funded' hours provided to parents in order to enhance access to early years education. In addition, they have begun to address workforce shortages by offering incentives to join the workforce as childminders. |
| Description | Briefing for Education Committee Enquiry: "Support for childcare and the early years: A way forward for early years provision " |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
| Description | Citation in Select Committee on Covid-19: Subject: The long-term impact of the pandemic on parents and families |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| URL | https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/16b09c7e-1c1e-4f64-8ee1-99883ad1690b |
| Description | Inquiry submission: Government preparedness for the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons from the Early childhood Education and Care (ECEC) sector |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Description | Ministerial briefing: Briget Phillipson MP, Shadow secretary for Education |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
| Description | Ministerial briefing: Helen Hayes MP, Shadow Secretary for Children and Early Years |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
| Description | Research cited in Westminster debate |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Citation in other policy documents |
| Description | Research used in a briefing for the Spending Review by Coram |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
| Description | Spending Review briefing: Briefing: Workforce stability and working conditions in the Early Years sector: Evidence through Covid19 |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Description | Partnership - research and dissemination - Coram family and childcare |
| Organisation | Coram |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Generating and sharing research and briefings. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Reviewing research tools, commenting on findings, disseminating findings. |
| Impact | None |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | APPG Presentation - Early Years Workforce Recruitment and Retention |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Kate Hardy presented research at the APPG Childcare and Early Education in House of Commons. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Appearance on a Podcast (Reasons to be cheerful) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Appearance by Kate Hardy on Miliband's "Reasons to be Cheerful podcast" on 28th April 2022. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Bespoke presentation and briefing to NAFIS |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Through our partnership with Coram, we were invited to address the National Association of Family Information Services (NAFIS), NAFIS is the only national membership organisation supporting local authorities to deliver high quality information and advice to families. It provides a focal point for lobbying government, access to key decision makers, and produces a monthly newsletter to its members who are mostly local government officers with responsibilities relating to children and ECEC. We presented our findings on recruitment and retention and NAFIS members reported that our findings both reflected their experiences and also gave them a better understanding of the structural nature of these. This also enabled us to engage in dialogue about further research that is necessary in the future |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Interview for newspaper article - Financial Times |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Interviewed by the Financial Times for an article about childcare and early years. Directly quoted. "UK childcare provision hit by coronavirus cutbacks" Article here - https://www.ft.com/content/82af7da3-7770-4e0b-83a0-a09608946fba |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | http://www.ft.com/content/82af7da3-7770-4e0b-83a0-a09608946fba |
| Description | Long form piece in NurseryWorld |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | A long form piece reporting on our final report. Appeared both in print and online. EXCLUSIVE: Coronavirus forced childcare providers to take dire action, study shows Katy Morton Tuesday, March 1, 2022 Covid has seen professionals cut staff, use reserves and even sell belongings, but researchers say an early years education and care-led recovery is now vital, as Katy Morton reports. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/news/article/exclusive-coronavirus-forced-childcare-providers-to-take... |
| Description | MP Briefing on Childcare Ratios organised by Pregnant then Screwed |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Kate Hardy presented our research at a briefing for MPs on proposed changes to childcare ratios. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Online Summit: What future for the early years? The evidence |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This online summit showcased and elaborated the evidence base which can inform a sustainable way forward for the early years. New research was presented by: Prof Jennifer Tomlinson, Director, Centre for Employment Relations Innovation and Change, University of Leeds Dr Nathan Archer, Director, International Montessori Institute, Leeds Beckett University Ivana LaValle, University of East London and co-Principal Investigator for Nuffield-funded Covid and Childcare, Local Impacts Across England study Catherine Davies, Professor of Language Development, University of Leeds Claire Crawford, Research Fellow of the IFS and Assistant Professor of Economics at the UCL Institute of Education This summit was be an important chance for everybody working in early years policy, research and advocacy who are concerned about the future of the sector. This event was part of the Leeds University Business School's Ideas in Practice seminar series, bringing together business people, policy makers and academics. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Opinion piece "Early years is more important than ever" - Nursery World |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Early years is more important than ever Jennifer Tomlinson, professor of gender and employment relations, University of Leeds Tuesday, June 1, 2021 The early years sector will play a key role in the post-Covid recovery, says Jennifer Tomlinson, professor of gender and employment relations, University of Leeds |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/opinion/article/early-years-is-more-important-than-ever |
| Description | Panel discussion: What future for the early years |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This event brought together diverse voices from the early years sector. Speakers included, Dr Kate Hardy, principal investigator, Childcare during Covid project, University of Leeds; Sarah Ronan, Childcare Project Lead; Ellen Broomé, Managing Director, Coram Family and Children; Joss Cambridge-Simmons, Founder, Childcare Specialist and Award Winning 'manny', JossyCare; Neil Leitch OBE, CEO, Early Years Alliance. Speakers shared insights from their four perspectives and propose ways forward for the early years sector through the economic and social recovery from Covid and beyond. The panel discussion was followed by an audience Q&A. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Participation in APPG Sponsor lunch meeting |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | We participated in an invite-only, closed meeting with chair of the APPG, Steve Brine MP and other sponsors of the APPG, including sector advocates, nursery and other business owners and philanthropic sponsors. We shared our research in order to brief Steve Brine to engage with other politicians in Westminster, particularly in response to the Spring Budget. Steve Brine changed his argumentation/positionality into the approach and arguments he was to take in engagement with his colleagues around the issues of early years, specifically in relation to the changes announced in the budge to provide more subsidised childcare hours to families in the UK. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Podcast - early years in the third national lockdown |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | In this short podcast, Drs Kate Hardy and Xanthe Whittaker discuss how COVID-19 has caused disruption to early years education and childcare, and the impact that has had on workers and staff, particularly during the third national lockdown. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://soundcloud.com/leedsunibschool/how-the-third-national-lockdown-is-affecting-early-years-chil... |
| Description | Podcast - educators, not glorified babysitters |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The Covid-19 pandemic has shown the value of the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) sector as part of the country's infrastructure, yet ECEC workers remain undervalued. Drs Helen Norman and Nathan Archer talk to Neil Leitch, Chief Executive at the Early Years Alliance, about how the pandemic has affected the Early Years sector and what the priorities for change are. This episode is part of a research project exploring the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on early years education and childcare across England and Wales, led by Professors Kate Hardy and Jennifer Tomlinson at the University of Leeds. The project is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council as part of the UK Research & Innovation's rapid response to COVID-19. This podcast episode was recorded remotely in August 2021. If you would like to get in touch regarding this podcast, please contact research.lubs@leeds.ac.uk. A transcript of this episode is available. About the speakers: Helen Norman is a Senior Research Fellow in the Centre for Employment Relations, Innovation and Change at Leeds University Business School. Her research focuses on fathers and fatherhood, the gendered division of labour and gender inequalities in work, employment and family life. Helen is also interested in mothers' and their work-care trajectories after having children, as well as cross-national variations of work, employment and care practices. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://soundcloud.com/leedsunibschool/educators-not-glorified-babysitters |
| Description | Roundtable with Early Years Alliance |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | We undertook a roundtable discussion directly with Early Years Alliance (EYA). Following this engagement activity, which was designed to create a step-change in our relationship with EYA our research facilitated a shift in EYA's campaigning and policy priorities from focussing on closures, which we found in our data were in fact only affecting a small number of settings, towards a focus on issues around staffing shortages, understaffing and work intensification. This is a direct result of the findings in our data, through which we have strongly argued that these are the qualitative problems in the sector, alongside the more visible issue of closures which has previously dominated debates and campaigning. We were able to provide evidence about how settings were responding to lower occupancy and demonstrate the links with quality of work and the emerging recruitment and retention crisis. The EYA also requested data from the CDC project to inform presentations to Westminster and other policy-related activities. Neil Leith (OBE), CEO of EYA said "The research undertaken by the University of Leeds provided an invaluable insight in day-to-day impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the early years sector in England. The robust data produced by the team on a range of key issues - including the various measures settings were forced to take to remain financially viable, the impact of the pandemic on the workforce, and the effect of losing access to childcare and early education on children and families - continues to underpin and inform our ongoing campaigning work on behalf of the sector". |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Roundtable with Women's Budget Group |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | Following our roundtable, it was agreed that our research will inform the development of the strategy and priorities for the Childcare Coalition, which the WBG will launch later this year. Our engagement with WBG on this campaign continues. Sarah Ronan, Early Years and Childcare Coalition - Project Lead at Women's Budget Group said "The Childcare During Covid project has been vital in evidencing the impact on the sector and all of those with a stake in it. In particular, the capturing of people's lived experiences during such an impossible time has helped to illustrate the universality of childcare and how it underpins all of our lives. This work been particularly useful to us at the Women's Budget Group. We're currently developing an early years and childcare coalition that will work towards the long-term reform of the sector. The research produced by the Childcare During Covid project has helped to strengthen our case for collaborative working on this issue. In particular, the roundtables and summit have been an invaluable forums for connecting with other stakeholders who now play an active role in building this new coalition. The roundtables and summit also provided opportunities to tease out some of the possible solutions to the current crisis and how we might begin exploring these in more detail. This has helped us at WBG to shape the direction of the coalition". |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Talk at London Poverty Summit |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Acted on a panel about childcare at London Poverty Summit. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.childhoodtrust.org.uk/our-projects/london-child-poverty-summit/ |
| Description | Webinar - Childminders during the COVID -19 pandemic: an invisibilised, but essential workforce |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This webinar presented findings on the experiences of childminders that emerged from the study. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://childcare-during-covid.org/events-2/ |
| Description | Webinar - Final Report Launch |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This event launched the final report from "Childcare during COVID-19" - a major study examining the effect on of the pandemic of the early years sector, its workforce and the families who rely on it. Drawing on two waves of surveys with 5,542 responses and 321 interviews with 197 participants including nursery managers and workers, childminders, nannies, parents and grandparents. The findings demonstrate the financial pressures experienced within the sector, their uneven impact and the ways in which the pandemic has exacerbated existing intra- and inter-household inequalities. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://childcare-during-covid.org/webinar-essential-but-undervalued-early-years-care-and-education-... |
| Description | Webinar - Nannies during the Covid-19 pandemic |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Webinar presenting the findings from the nanny survey. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://childcare-during-covid.org/events-2/ |
| Description | Webinar: Has Covid-19 left Early Years Settings in Crisis? Evidence from nurseries |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | In this lunchtime webinar - the first in a series of presentations on our UKRI/ESRC-funded Childcare during Covid project - we presented findings from our research on nurseries in England and Wales. This includes survey data from 821 nursery managers and in-depth interview data with 38 nursery managers and 44 nursery workers. We will reflected on: How nursery providers have organised their childcare workers in response to COVID How COVID has affected attendance and the use of statutory childcare entitlement The financial implications of COVID and what nurseries are doing to stay afloat What the disruptions might mean for the future sustainability of the ECEC sector, including working conditions and finances. Future seminars will present findings relating to: childminders, nannies and parents. This event was part of the Leeds University Business School's Ideas in Practice seminar series, bringing together business people, policy makers and academics. The events take place in Leeds and London where we discuss important topics and share ideas to help companies and public bodies both in the UK and globally. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Why early-years education must be prioritised in pandemic recovery plans |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Article in The Conversation. This was shared over 250 times on Facebook and 67 times on Twitter. The blog link on our internal website received 70 views. So it is likely that it received considerably more views via The Conversation. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://theconversation.com/why-early-years-education-must-be-prioritised-in-pandemic-recovery-plans... |
| Description | Women's Budget Group - blog - An Invisible and Vulnerable Sector: Early Years Childcare and Covid |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Blog - An Invisible and Vulnerable Sector: Early Years Childcare and Covid Date Posted: Thursday 16th September 2021 "An Invisible and Vulnerable Sector: Early Years Childcare and Covid" |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://wbg.org.uk/blog/an-invisible-and-vulnerable-sector-early-years-childcare-and-covid/ |