Nursery World - Government keeps nurseries open in lockdown 3 purely for profit

In keeping early years settings open, the Government is putting profits above people, argues Dr Kate Hoskins

Dr Kate Hoskins, Brunel University: 'A clear driver for reopening early years settings is an economic argument'

A weary sense of déjà vu seemed to spread after Prime Minister Boris Johnson plunged England back into a full, national lockdown with immediate effect.

But compared with the March 2020 lockdown, there are notable changes. This time around, the Government will keep open early years education. We need look no further than the economy to explain the reason for this shift.

Lockdowns significantly undermine the productivity of parents with preschool age children which creates problems for the already seriously ailing economy.

The unique challenges parents face when attempting to juggle their paid employment with the education and care of their preschool age child, are laid out by the Co-SPYCE (COVID-19 Supporting Parents and Young Children in Epidemics) survey. The findings from the study show the key causes of stress for families in this situation were:

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included