Work Matters: Business Development - Ask us before you rush in and change things

We have entered a new age, a coalition Government, and I am worried.I know that we have to face the fact that times are changing and I know that we have to be prepared for some tough times ahead, but does this new coalition Government really understand what it is that early years workers are trying to achieve for all young children?

The concern is that they might adopt the attitude: 'If it was set up by the last Government, it cannot be good for the country so therefore we must get rid of it!' The effect on the daycare industry will be wide-felt and possibly catastrophic for young children and their families.

Look, for example, at the comments made even before the election that the Early Years Foundation Stage was too unwieldy and should be trimmed down.

Consider also the comments about the qualifications for workers in the early years; we are all on notice from our local authorities that this is probably the final year of the Graduate Leader Fund. All those years of supporting staff through training is about to come to an end. Where next for Early Years Professional Status? I have proudly watched as members of my team have achieved their EYP, and with a sense of pride have continued in their demanding roles in nursery. Are we just to throw all that out with the bath water?

Whatever your politics, the past 13 years have seen the most phenomenal change in the expertise of early years workers. We have moved from a low-paid, low-qualified workforce to a new level. The pay still isn't great, but more and more people are choosing to work in the early years because they see it as a real opportunity to make a difference to children. They have the chance to support a young child on their journey of learning and developing; their knowledge and actions will help to determine that young child's life. What an enormous responsibility, and what a huge privilege to be part of that incredible journey.

I am putting out a plea to this coalition Government: don't rush in to change everything without proper consultation. Early years workers understand that there will have to be stricter budget controls in the next few years. However, diluting the service, reducing the quality or simply halting further progress would be such a retrograde step, that it will put early years back far further than where it was in 1997 when the previous Government came to power.

The previous Government may not have got it all right, and they may have been too free with the funding, but they established a precedent that we must not forget: the early years are the most important, formative years of a child's life. Get that right, and the rest almost automatically will follow.