Teach Early Years - Issue 14.2

for the emotional availability we offer. No bonus for the regulation we lend to children when they can’t yet find it in themselves. But it’s there. And it matters. SUPPORT FOR SOCIETY The early years sector is not a luxury; it’s the backbone of the working world. We are the reason parents can return to work. We are the reason children start school with the confidence to thrive. We are the reason countless families feel held, seen, and supported during some of the most tender years of their lives. And yet, we remain one of the most misunderstood and underfunded professions in the country. Early years policy changes hands like a game of political hot potato, but the impact always lands in our laps. Across the sector, the pressure is mounting. Pay rarely reflects the responsibility. Paperwork piles up. Expectations grow. And still, we show up. For childminders, I know that invisibility can feel especially heavy. Many do it solo, often with little support, and yet we are still framed as the “cheaper” or “easier” option. Having walked the path from nurseries to childminder, I’ve seen how differently the roles are perceived, and how wrongly those assumptions are made. That journey has only deepened my respect for the resilience and professionalism across our sector – the kind of strength that speaks even when the world isn’t listening, and that deserves to be seen, valued, and celebrated. CHANGING THE NARRATIVE This is the story of a sector that quietly changes lives, one moment, one meal, one morning at a time. It’s every educator who has crouched down to make eye contact with a crying child. Every key person who has stayed up late thinking of ideas for their little ones. Every childminder who opened early or late because another family was relying on them. Every nursery team who’s worked short-staffed but still made magic happen. We may work in different settings, but we share a mission: to give children what they need to feel loved, to feel capable, to feel ready. So no, we are not babysitters. We are the ones who build the beginnings. And while the world may not always see us, we see each other. We lift each other. We advocate. We stay – not because it’s easy, but because it’s meaningful . And we will keep showing up, with head, heart and hands, until the world catches up with what we already know. We are not babysitters. We are educators. We are professionals. We are essential. And the ripples of what we do today – in the play, in the patience, in the quiet holding – will echo through generations to come. Read more from Georgina at Guiding The Young Ones – visit earlyyears.blog Teachearlyyears.com 15