Throughout lockdown and the response to this pandemic we have seen the value of critical workers redefined. Once the Covid-19 crisis hit, nurseries and schools were told to close, but a large number provided emergency childcare for key worker families and vulnerable children. They were, you might say, the fourth emergency service, enabling frontline workers to keep the country moving. Staff risked exposure to infection and businesses opened for the handful of children who needed them, operating at a loss throughout lockdown.
Responding to this crisis and planning our recovery gives us a chance to reassess the undervalued and under-appreciated work of the early years and childcare sector in this country. Any government plan for jobs needs to have a plan for childcare to support parents back into the workplace without reinforcing gender inequalities. At the same time, it is vital that our children do not lose out on the opportunities that high-quality early education can provide.
