The early years sector in England is underfunded, undervalued and losing its workforce. That is not a campaigner's opinion, it is the government's own data. A Freedom of Information request revealed that the true cost of delivering quality early years provision was £7.49 an hour in 2021. The funding gap between what settings receive and what it actually costs to run them properly is pushing providers to the brink and driving experienced practitioners out of the profession.
Neil Leitch, CEO of the Early Years Alliance, has spent years fighting to change this. In the second episode of Best Beginnings, he sat down with George Looker to talk through what is really happening on the ground and why it matters far beyond the sector itself.
One of the sharpest moments in the conversation is on workforce. Early years educators are leaving not because they do not love the work, but because they cannot afford to stay. The perception of the profession, seen by many as glorified childcare rather than the skilled, developmentally critical work it is, makes recruitment harder and retention worse. Leitch is clear that changing this requires a cultural shift, not just a policy fix.
The episode also tackles what school readiness really means. Leitch pushes back on narrow definitions that focus on literacy and numeracy at the expense of social and emotional development, the very foundations that determine how children learn for the rest of their lives.
On inequality, the picture is stark. Food poverty is now a reality inside nurseries and early years settings. The community infrastructure that once supported families, children's centres, Sure Start, has been eroded. And the families who need support most are the least likely to access it.
But the episode is not without hope. Leitch points to signs of genuine political will in the new government's approach and reflects on what meaningful consultation with the sector could actually look like.
"Every child has talent. Not every child has opportunity." — Neil Leitch, CEO of the Early Years Alliance
The episode is out now.
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