Looking to the future of the early years

ALLIANCE ANNUAL CONFERENCE

A look back at the keynote speeches at this year’s conference

This year’s conference aimed to build a positive vision for the future of the early years sector, while also looking at how we can inspire future generations to take care of the planet.

Before the event had even started, the impact of this vision could be seen in the good deeds that Alliance members completed as a ‘payment’ for their conference tickets. From litter picking, running foodbanks and helping the homeless, the actions of our members showed the true spirit of the early years sector.

Our first speaker for the evening was Rosamund Adoo-Kissi Debrah, founder of the Ella Roberta Family Foundation and WHO BreatheLife ambassador, who has been campaigning on reducing air pollution since her nine-year-old daughter Ella died from asthma in 2013.

Rosamund started her keynote speech by reminding attendees of the importance of managing children’s asthma and keeping records up to date with their asthma plans. “Please always make sure in your work with children with asthma that you have up-to-date medication and an asthma plan with doctors,” she said. “The younger you are, the more vulnerable you are.”

Levels of air pollution in and around your setting are also key, Rosamund said – although she noted that the level of concern here varies greatly across regions. “Sadly, we don’t all breathe the same air. It depends where your setting is,” she said. She advised providers to ask parents to walk to their settings rather than drive and not to leave their engine running while waiting outside.

With 1.1 million children currently receiving treatment for asthma, it is the most common long-term condition amongst children and young people. Rosamund says that this means parents need to know about the risk around air pollution. She encouraged providers who believe they are in a hot spot for pollution to ask for monitors and to speak to parents. “Empower them with knowledge,” she said. “Public awareness is very low.”

Our next speaker was Andreas Rasch-Christensen, director of research at VIA University College in Denmark, who offered some insights into how Nordic countries provide early education and care. He said that while uptake of early education was very high – over 90% – the number of qualified early years staff was relatively low at just 40%.

Andreas explained that providers are keen not to see their settings become merely preparation for school. “Spontaneous play – and play as a concept is very important,” he said. “It’s not just a tool for learning. It has a value in itself.” Andreas also introduced the German concept of ‘Bildung’, which is a holistic education method that develops emotional and creative skills alongside cognitive ability.

The role of outdoor play was also highlighted. Andreas said that spending time outdoors can promote children’s wellbeing and early educators may find that some children even find it easier to concentrate outdoors. “Children play differently outside,” he said. “They use their bodies more.” He also stressed that this could help encourage their play. “The best way to support children,” he said, “is to let them be children.”

Our final speaker for the evening was Alliance CEO Neil Leitch. Neil started by drawing comparisons between climate change activists, and the ways in which their warnings have been ignored, and the early years sector. He said: “We’ve been crying out for so long that things need to change, that the sector is in crisis, that we need to act now to ensure we are able to continue to provide the best possible care and education for our children and families, and yet, so little seems to change.”

Neil also criticised the government’s plans to consult on changes to early years ratios in England this year. “If implemented, this policy will not only put the quality of care and early education that children receive at risk, but it will also be an enormous backward step in how early years provision is viewed and understood in this country,” he said.

Beyond safety concerns, Neil warned that the proposals are also indicative of the way the sector is treated. “We are not babysitters,” he said. “We aren’t simply there to keep children fed and watered. Of course, keeping them safe is a priority but that alone is not what we do. We are educators.”

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Minds Still Matter: a positive approach to supporting wellbeing in the early years at the Alliance’s annual event. Free for Alliance members, £15 for non-members

Monitoring maternal mental health

African stories and traditional tales

Empowering early years educators

Let’s dance!

Minds Still Matter: a positive approach to supporting wellbeing in the early years

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