Nursery chief launches campaign to raise profile and status of early years education

The National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) is launching a year-long, national campaign to raise the profile of the early years sector and its dedicated workforce.

The First Five Years Count campaign will highlight how valuable the early years sector is to families, employers and the economy but most importantly, the future of children from birth to five.

The campaign aims to promote all the great work which goes on in the nursery and other early years settings, to support children’s early development.

Purnima Tanuku, chief executive of NDNA, said: “We are extremely proud to be launching our exciting and much needed campaign that really puts early years and the professionals in the workforce on a par with schools as being crucial for children’s development and education.

“We really want to go the extra mile to shout about how utterly brilliant our early years practitioners and teachers are. They have endured two very difficult years but have been crucial in supporting and educating our youngest children through this ongoing recovery period."

In the midst of a recruitment and retention crisis, this campaign aims to send a message that early years practitioners are vital educators. The campaign will encourage students, job seekers and career changers to consider building a future in the early years sector.

“Research has shown just how much children have missed out on as a result of the pandemic," says Ms Tanuku. "Early years staff have given them so much support, love and care to help them settle into nursery again and to aid their recovery after months of isolation.

“Our practitioners instil wonder, curiosity and a lifelong desire to learn which is so important for all children to thrive and reach their full potential. They offer them learning opportunities which open up a world of possibilities.

“This is a campaign to promote the sector, by the sector. We really hope it will hit home and influence families, policy makers and anyone considering a career in early years. This is the most important time for our youngest children, and shaping their lives is the best job in the world.”

The First Five Years Count campaign also aims to increase parental understanding of the learning and development that takes place in children’s early years, highlighting the professionalism and value added by the early years workforce.

The NDNA has invested significantly into creating and developing the campaign, producing toolkits for nurseries, eye-catching posters, banners and many more materials to share the messaging.

As part of this campaign, NDNA has developed a five-point pinwheel which signifies the first five years of a child’s life. This will be available in future resources and campaign materials over the coming weeks and months.

The campaign will be launched officially at the NDNA Conference 2022 ‘Recovery starts with early years on 24 June in Warwickshire.

To find out more and sign up as a campaign supporter, go to www.ndna.org.uk/firstfiveyearscount