Nursery World - You get what you pay for

It matters that the average early years practitioner is paid the same as a hairdresser and that nearly half rely on state benefits

New research published last week by the Education Policy Institute, with support from the Nuffield Foundation, confirmed that the sustainability of the early years and childcare workforce continues to be threatened by low pay and low qualifications.

While the Government acknowledges that the early years are crucial for child development and for narrowing the gap between disadvantaged children and the rest, our findings show that this does not appear to be a sector that is valued by politicians.

Since 2013, childcare workers have suffered a real-terms pay cut of 5 per cent – in stark contrast to a 2.5 per cent pay rise among the wider female working population. This means that average pay for childcare workers now stands at £8.20 per hour, and almost half are reliant on in-work state benefits.

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