This special issue arose from critical dialogue about injustice in the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector in England between diverse people engaged in practice, research and advocacy. Each post makes visible the hidden injustices within the ECEC system and offers ideas for reform or action. In December 2023, the University of East London hosted the symposium Educating for Activism, which aimed to connect practitioners, campaigners and academics through knowledge exchange about structural injustice and activism in the ECEC sector in England. A collectively authored reflection on the symposium, published as a BERA Blog post, advocated for a just approach to knowledge exchange in the ECEC sector. As an action following the symposium, the contributors initiated a democratic dialogue connecting people and organisations on the margins of recent ECEC policy debates about government policy in England to expand childcare to working parents.

The editors curated this special issue in the context of a neoliberal ECEC sector in England where practitioners, academics and civic society advocates/activists are fragmented by a culture that privileges competition over collaboration (Roberts Holmes & Moss, 2021). A neoliberal ideology permeates the institutions providing professional education and training in the ECEC sector (Davy, 2025). By connecting disparate people in the ECEC sector, we aspired to a just practice in knowledge exchange that both transcends and disrupts the hierarchical structures of the academy and the ECEC sector. Contributors used terminology that was specific to their job role and organisation; this means that diverse terminology is used to authentically describe the roles of people who work in the sector. Homogeneous labels assigned to job roles may lead to coherent writing but fail to reflect the messy reality of practice in the ECEC sector and risks masking the debate in the ECEC sector about the status and professionalism of practitioners.

‘ECEC practitioners, academics and civic society advocates/activists are fragmented by a culture that privileges competition over collaboration.’

In January 2025 a special issue of the BERA Blog focused on the action government needs to take to address inequality for children and families in the early years. Our special issue complements the earlier work by bringing to the foreground multiple experiences of injustice, and brings together ideas for reform from practitioners and campaigners working on the margins of the ECEC sector.

Sara Mendes of the Nanny Solidarity Network argues that nannies and au pairs are largely absent from government early years policy in England. This leaves workers, who are predominantly female migrants, at risk from exploitation and positions them as low-skilled workers. She argues for reforms to employment rights and legal protections for migrant workers in the ECEC sector.

Helen Pimm addresses the challenges experienced by community-led and not-for-profit nurseries as they witness depleting numbers in the ECEC sector despite their vital role in supporting the local community. She recommends a social enterprise model that is sustainable to enable not-for-profit nurseries to retain their position as a lifeline for families.

Caroline Wadham of the Early Years Alliance argues that a significant task for early years educators (EYEs) is advocacy for systems change. She suggests that membership organisations such as the Early Years Alliance have a key role in connecting and representing marginalised voices in the sector.

Lavern Johnson addresses challenges of recruitment and retention in the ECEC sector in England. She argues that ECEC practitioners who are also graduates of early childhood studies degrees face uncertainty regarding their pay and status. She suggests that government policy must urgently generate a just solution that will award practitioners the status and pay commensurate with their graduate skills.

Caitlin Bray and Nathan Archer recount contemporary practice through a vignette to illustrate the multifaceted role of ECEC practitioners and day nurseries, underpinned by an ethic of care that encompasses the child and the child’s family. They argue that nurseries want to perform this work but they need recognition and resources for it to be sustainable.

Leonie Butler and Jessica Whiteley argue that small independent nurseries are marginalised in the implementation of government plans to expand publicly funded childcare to babies by locating provision in primary schools; they recommend that independent nurseries take a leadership role in shaping provision for babies in each locality.

In the final post in this special issue, Rosa Schling and Julia Manning-Morton revisit past activism by nursery workers in Islington, London, to examine the impact of strike action which resulted in improved conditions for nursery workers, children and their families. They argue that practitioner activists today can be strengthened by reflecting on the transformative collective actions from the past.

As co-editors we aimed to connect readers of the BERA Blog with the voices of people working on the margins of the ECEC sector. Knowledge held by people working in the ECEC sector needs to be valued, acknowledged and acted on by government in both the transformation and implementation of policy. In this way, policy reform has the potential to deliver a just ECEC system that delivers fair and equitable outcomes for children, families and practitioners.

References

Davy, K. (2025, February 17). Exploring the impact of neoliberal ideology on professional training [Paper presentation]. British Early Childhood Research Association Conference, Birmingham, England.

Roberts-Holmes, G., & Moss, P. (2021). Neoliberalism and early childhood markets, imaginaries and governance. Routledge.