Early years education is woefully misunderstood.

[Invasionofthegutsnatchers]

I'm an infant school teacher. (Year R, 1 and 2 = age 4-7). The more time goes on the more I'm realising that a huge proportion of the general population don't understand the importance of learning in the first few years of life.

Childcare as a concept is highly valued because it allows parents to go to work, this is a necessity for most. But the actual stuff children do at Childcare settings is often dismissed as 'just playing'. This play is crucial for development.

Children need to be able to listen to others, take turns, understand that others have needs and wants. They have to share once they start school.

They need daily exposure to nursery rhymes and stories. Strengthening activities to allow their fine and gross motor skills to develop. Imaginative play to help them be empathetic and create stories. And so much more.

I feel like the pandemic has highlighted so many reasons we need this learning and as a result a lot of children who missed out on childcare have huge gaps in their development. Very poor core strength for example so they aren't ready to write. No knowledge of rhyme as they haven't been singing songs. So many other examples. Social skills is a massive one. We need to value this education so much more and the adults who work really hard in these settings.

I work with pre- school children and couldn't agree more! Far too much screen time for young children (and babies!) unfortunately, which is having such a detrimental effect on their overall development.

It is EVERTYTHING, OP. You can muck about with the junior years. Or, in my case, my DD has missed all of year 7. She will catch up.
But that social foundation that kids get in the early years is the bedrock that stabilises them later on (like now, as my DD prepares to return full time to secondary school). You can catch up with the academics (or not). But social skills start early on.
My youngest is autistic and early years education (something so many parents of autistic children understandably fear) was the making of him. So much of our behaviour is learned behaviour. It is not intuitive to share and take turns.We learn to socialise. And learning to wait your turn to speak is, in effect, learning patience! I think one of the reasons my DS is so calm and copes so well in his mainstream environment is because his early years were so effective in helping him relate to the world around him- a world not shaped for his needs. To this day, I believe early years and sixth form/college are the best and most beneficial times in one's education.

I completely agree - I was implied to be lazy for sending mine to pre school. Yes I’m a sahm but I’m not a professional. Even in a church hall pre. school the staff have qualifications that I don’t. I actually think a lot of adults underestimate the importance of learning through play tbf. Those 15 hours a week made a huge difference plus it meant my eldest child with disability went to a primary school that was prepared for him.

I don't work in early years education but in education for adults but where I live preschool teachers are paid just over minimum wage.....no pay during summer holidays. It's absolutely shocking tbh and I can see in my town a huge shortage of workers in this area.

It reminds me of lockdown dogs too! You can spot them a mile off (even if they're going on 2 years old now). Poorly trained, reactive, poor ownership. They didn't go to puppy school (which is essential because it trains the dogs AND the owners!). People think they can youtube their way through learning. Nope! You can't. You need proper teaching. And socialising is learned within a living, breathing group not from a screen... this goes for humans and dogs!

To add all the staff in my DC's preschool have degrees in early years ed and deserve a proper salary.

Couldn't agree more. We don't put anything like enough money and support into the early years, either in obstetric/postnatal services and family support for people with babies and toddlers, or into early years education and childcare. It should be seen as an investment for the future. We'd have earlier identification of learning difficulties, and families where there might be abuse or neglect, and in the longer term if children do better at school and in their later vocational or academic studies it would benefit the economy. I personally believe we'd also end up spending less on the criminal justice system, mental health services and social security benefits as we'd have a healthier, happier society with more people working.

We can all dream, anyway.

@Owieeee

To add all the staff in my DC's preschool have degrees in early years ed and deserve a proper salary.

Absolutely! All of my kids went to the state nursery attached to the state primary because of this. The standard of teaching is exceptional. They are highly trained and highly skilled in what they do. It's a gift! If you happen to have a nursery attached to a local, good primary school, it's a blessing! Take it and run with it! The best therapy my ASD son got was that year in nursery followed by reception. Those two years absolutely made my boy. I feel incredibly, incredibly lucky as a parent.

Similar, Vanguard. My children went to a community nursery school, not attached to a primary school, but not a day nursery. It took 3 and 4 year olds only. It was utterly brilliant. I'd have liked to spend my mornings there myself! Qualified teachers and (at that time, don't know how it is now) NNEB qualified nursery nurses in each of the three classes.

I'm a childminder and I agree with you wholeheartedly.
Sometimes childminders are viewed as somewhat 'lesser' childcare and education.
I obviously disagree. The children in my care usually arrive more ready for school than some local nurseries.

Play dough, drawing, mark making, taking turns, listening to stories, singing songs, experience of the world, shopping, colours, counting, and more
All things parents can do at home, don't feel guilty if you don't want to use childcare.

I 100% agree but even as an engaged parent I never quite realised all the different levels and and aspects of play learning.

I think leaflets.. little booklets should be given to New parents.

However , please don't discount the thousands of amazing toddler groups run up usually by volunteers up And down the country.
Ours used to cost £1.

I went to several each week.
Each one slightly different.
They always have a craft table set up, and then usually on rotation painting,play dough type of activities as well.
Loads of toys, small world, kitchens , mud kitchen, ride on toys,dress up, role play.

After a snacks usually everyone sits around And gets read a short story, then sing nursery song's.

I couldn't agree more, OP. What makes me so, so sad is that a lot of parents may not know this, but the government does. There is so much research out there about the importance of the early years, and the importance of play, and the importance of time outdoors, and the latter two not just for preschoolers (I'm glad you specified up to age 7 in your OP).

And yet this constant drive for testing, greater use of tech, etc.

Absobloodylutely OP. Early years education can be incredible, with pay-off for the rest of the child's life. I am in awe of dedicated early years staff.

And yes - proper salaries. I do the finances for my sons' preschool and I am appalled at how little the (INCREDIBLE) staff are paid.

I also agree more money needs to be invested into early years.

I’m lucky we live near an amazing pre school so both my kids have benefited.

Pre school and nurseries were only closed from mid March- June so was a relatively short period of time .

For me though it's early years development. I am in my 50's, we didn't have all of this 'education'. We just played, might have gone to a locally run play group but that was it. Guess what, the majority turned out ok.

When my DC started in nursery/pre-school for me it was waaay too much 'learning through play' and pictures and meeting objectives and targets, it really got on my nerves. Just let children play, enjoy themselves, interact, they will learn. IMO you don't need all this organising, it's so intense. I would be interested to see what the impact of all this has been.

Of course you are correct.

But try suggesting on MN that all children should have access to the 30 hours funding for 3 and 4 year olds, and you uncover a vehement commitment (from many) to the notion of early years education as ‘childcare’ needed by working families only.

And what of SureStart / children’s centres - how did we allow this government to let them go?

There was an interesting article in the Times this week about forest schools in the Nordic countries including Finland in particular and how in tune the kids are with nature, they can name trees and flowers and aren't scared of a bit of rain (or snow!).

tis considered as womans work and unimportant judging value of salary

but infect is creating wonderful people

Op you are absolutely right.

It's important for children to learn to play without adult direction. I worry that some children have every minute of the day organised for them and never learn to contend with being bored and finding some way to relieve that/get through it.

However, if you leave children entirely to their own devices, you would typically expect boys to dominate the outdoor play areas, pedal cars and so on and girls to take over the home corner and dressing up box. In a good early years setting the adults will encourage all children to have a go at everything that's on offer, and there will be gentle correction if any child comes out with 'that's not for boys/girls'.

One of my best memories of my children's time at nursery school is the term when my son's class had a huge tank in the corner where butterfly eggs were going to hatch. They were a big focus of interest for several days/weeks waiting for the hatching to start, and then there was a very brief period when they had hatched and before they were released outside when all the children were encouraged to draw the butterflies. He was 4.5 and not that into drawing but when they finally got him to sit down and have a go at it he produced some lovely little sketches, showing he'd really looked carefully and learned something as a result.

@Noisyprat

For me though it's early years development. I am in my 50's, we didn't have all of this 'education'. We just played, might have gone to a locally run play group but that was it. Guess what, the majority turned out ok.

When my DC started in nursery/pre-school for me it was waaay too much 'learning through play' and pictures and meeting objectives and targets, it really got on my nerves. Just let children play, enjoy themselves, interact, they will learn. IMO you don't need all this organising, it's so intense. I would be interested to see what the impact of all this has been.

I feel much the same @Noisyprat. Am in my 50s too.

I'm a KS1 teacher. I was musing with a colleague the other day about why British kids (and adults) handwriting seems to be much less neat than those in some European countries ,(I only have experience of French/German so a generalisation I know). We came to the conclusion that it is because formal education starts much later and they have time in the early years to focus on muscle strength and fine motor skills which as you say are so crucial. I think our whole early years/KS1 curriculum needs a redesign.

I'll add that I used to go in for a couple of hours a week to help with son's primary school class. It was a revelation to see how some children just buckle down and get on with their tasks and others will spend as much time as possible procrastinating and avoiding the task. Don't want to generalise too much, but in that class it was a few boys who messed about. I don't recall any of the girls doing that. I don't know if it was all bravado to avoid doing something they found very hard, or whether it was just laziness and lack of interest. Bit of both, maybe, but whatever it was the gap in attainment between these unmotivated boys and the rest of the class got bigger and bigger over the four years I was helping there. I often wonder how they got on at secondary school.

Thank you all who recognise the importance of Early Years.

I work with 2 to 4 year olds and we're massively undervalued and under paid.
Thankfully my DH earns a good wage so we don't rely on my minimum wage, I do it for the love of the job!

Since Covid we can see how badly affected the children are, most are 6 to 12 months behind in their development and we're working so hard to help them.