This year's student essay competition asked students to outline how they would attract more men into childcare and early years education. We had a huge response with some innovative ideas - here are the winning entries
Jerry Aldous
1st prize - 1,000
Working with children in the early years - Open University
When you tell someone you're a teacher, the first question is invariably, 'What do you teach?' It is fascinating to watch reactions when I talk about early years and explain that it is skills-based and not so much subject-based, that the curriculum (distinct, and quite separate from the National Curriculum) is broad, and that the development of personal and social skills are as important as anything else we promote.
We play. We play and make no apology for it, and as the spotlight on early years education shines brighter as a result of Government initiatives and the consequent increase in funding, it is at last being recognised that structured play is the best method to teach, since this is how children learn best.
When I was a student at teacher training college I don't remember being encouraged to consider early years and I see little change now. Walk around any early years setting and you will see women, probably women only, and isn't this because it is taken for granted they are best placed to undertake the work? Of course it is partly a nurturing role, but why exclusively for 'mothers'? Don't children have fathers too? Are they less important?
Historically there has been an assumption that working with young children is purely a woman's domain, and it is this that needs to be challenged. Surely the need for a stable, consistent male in their lives is critical, made even more important for those children who don't have a resident figure at home.
Once it is accepted there is a place for men in this area then efforts need to begin to recruit, and a priority is to raise awareness of the jobs available. This can be done in a variety of ways and can be started at school or college itself, perhaps offering taster sessions that introduce young men to an often misunderstood world where they can join in, be given some responsibility and see how we accomplish more than 'just playing'.
How about all the disaffected teachers we hear about, on the verge of leaving the profession? Specific expertise is welcomed in a Foundation setting but it isn't vital to be a specialist in any traditional subject, and wouldn't it be a waste to lose current teachers' skills, knowledge and experience without attempting to harness this?
Outside the profession the potential workforce is vast. Parent helpers need to be cultivated - not just mum helpers - to help with reading, cooking and sport, areas that male relatives already perform. The link, between this and spending time with children for a living can then be encouraged. Given the diversity of settings available, from childminding to private or local authority nurseries to school teaching, there are a variety of secure, long-term positions to choose from, and it is personal qualities rather than academic prowess that are of the utmost importance.
Some of the specific skills required are common to many jobs - relationship building and a reasonable confidence in public speaking are useful (a repertoire of nursery rhymes would also come in handy!), but so much of the work will come naturally to many people. What a job - in addition to all this the likelihood is you'll be surrounded by female colleagues and you don't even need to wear a tie! There is no great mystery to working with young children, but individual schools need to have action plans to confront concerns, they need to stress how welcome men would be, how prized they are. Obviously screening is important, but an Open Day that specifically involves men would help. For many, the ultimate difficulty might be the financial considerations. This is not a career where you will make millions (and the tradition of low pay questions the worth we have placed on our youngest children until now), but if the Government is as serious as it appears to be in addressing the recruitment issue then it needs to give sufficient financial incentives and campaign nationally, aiming at the nation's males, many of whom are perfectly competent at achieving success and satisfaction in this field.
Children benefit from mixed gender situations being modelled and ultimately we all benefit from the balance it provides. And, while there has been little change until now within the workplace, there is a growing acceptance that dads need to spend more time with their children - testimony to this is the transformation of attitudes regarding paternity arrangements - so perhaps this wind of change might lead to more men taking it up professionally.
As a society we are gradually placing more value on young children. As this gathers pace, I believe our perceptions about caring for them will also shift, and this will lead to opportunities for men's involvement in their welfare. Meanwhile, the profile of early years education is being raised and now is a good time for men to get involved. They can make a difference.
Sarah Plumley
2nd prize - 500
NVQ 2, Eastleigh College, Hampshire
While the Government is trying to attract more men into this rewarding career, it is also giving the opposite signal to anyone with children of their own. Tax incentives have just been increased to people who 'go back to work'. The more childcare you access, the more tax credit you will receive, within a wide band of incomes. That sends the message to people wanting to stay at home and do the lion's share of bringing up their own children, that they are not valued as highly as people who return to paid work, and have their children cared for by professionals.
This argument is at a slightly oblique angle to the point that I want to make but I think that it actually lies at the heart of why there are not more men in early years provision. The job undertaken by women at home is not valued, and by extension the job caring for and educating children at a setting is also undervalued.
Susannah Matthews
Equal 3rd prize - 250
NVQ 3, Saltash College, Cornwall
'As a man entering a pre-school setting where the workforce was entirely female, not only did I feel intimidated, I also had the uneasy feeling of being "under surveillance". Some of the staff were wary of me and when parents came in and noticed me playing with the children, the staff felt it necessary to "explain away" my presence. This was not the case for the female student who was also gaining work experience there at the time. You have to smile at the people who wonder why recruiting men into the sector is so hard.'
These were just some of the comments a male work experience student had to say about his experience of an early years setting.
Imagine for a moment how it must feel for a male play assistant to have parents insist that he does not change their child's nappy or attend to their toileting needs, when this is part of the job description.
The distorted notion that a man who wants to work with children must have his own 'agenda' is unjust. In reality, men come to work in early years care for the same reasons as women: because they have a passion for it, because they want to make a difference in young lives and because the personal rewards are tremendous. But without the acceptance of society and specifically of parents, men will continue to be deterred from embarking on training and employment in early years care and education.
Allison Hedley
Equal 3rd prize - 250
BA Early Childhood Studies, University of Sunderland
One thing is patently evident - national campaigns to encourage men into childcare have been embarrassingly in vain. Publicity must be channelled at a local level through secondary schools during which period boys are considering their future career prospects.
Setting local targets for the recruitment of male students and workers can help make gender a visible issue for colleges and employers. A 20-week pre-course for motivated men who lack entry qualifications for childcare courses can improve their chance of admission. Recruitment advertising placed in sports clubs, social clubs, local newspapers as well as announcements in local colleges, flyers on bulletin boards, in local school authorities, health facilities and word of mouth spread by parents and staff are all wide-reaching mediums to draw on.
Emphasis should be placed on existing good practice and male pioneers in the childcare sector such as Richard Bailey, a nursery manager who has been working in the sector since 1989, and Jean Piaget, the 'father' of childhood development theories.
Respected local people such as pop stars, footballers, or other sports stars can unite to promote childcare, perhaps by sharing some of their favourite pre-school moments.
