Childcare During Covid-19 project seeks managers and practitioners
Thursday, November 5, 2020
A large-scale research project led by the University of Leeds is looking to speak to nursery managers and childcare practitioners to help understand the impact of the pandemic on the childcare sector in England and Wales and influence future policy.
Childcare During Covid-19 is gathering data and evidence of the challenges that the pandemic poses for the sector and will make policy recommendations to support both practitioners and parents.
A team from the universities of Leeds and Bristol have been awarded funding of more than £430,000 from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), as part of the UK Research and Innovation’s rapid response to Covid-19, to assess the impact of coronavirus on early years childcare provision in the UK.
Nursery World Editor Liz Roberts is part of the Digital Advisory Board.
The 16 month research project will explore in detail areas including:
- Sustainability of childcare provision: some nurseries and childcare providers were under significant pressure before Covid-19, and there are concerns that as many as one in four nurseries may be unable to reopen after the crisis;
- Generating empirical evidence: why are nurseries and other providers closing, what does this mean for the families that use them and how it will affect gender and other social inequalities in households and at work;
- Informal childcare: some 5 million grandparents were estimated to be providing informal childcare support before Covid-19. How will the pandemic affect their ability to continue to do this? What are the implications for working parents?
- Safe environments: what can be done to ensure that childcare environments are safe for workers, children and families? How can childcare staff, children and families who are clinically vulnerable – and so may not be able to return to group settings – be supported?
The researchers would like to speak to managers and practitioners who work across a range of diverse group-based settings: larger through to smaller settings, maintained, and those that are part of large and small chains and independent nurseries in East and South London, Leeds and West Yorkshire region, Bristol and Avon county and Wales.
'Early years practitioners and managers are experts in the current crisis facing the early years sector. As such, it is vital that we include their insights and views into the research project to ensure that the research can deliver knowledge and information that is best able to support the experiences of businesses, staff and practitioners in the sector at this crucial time,' said Dr Kate Hardy, Associate Professor in Work and Employment Relations, University of Leeds.
Participation will involve two interviews, one in Autumn 2020 and one in Spring 2021. In order to participate in the research, you will need to be willing to participate in both interviews. Interviews will take place online, at your convenience and will last approximately one hour. You will be invited to discuss your experiences, thoughts and opinions about key issues and recent changes to how you provide childcare.
The interviews will be anonymous and all data will be treated confidentially. You may use a pseudonym if you wish.
If you are interested in participating in the research please contact:
Dr Camille Barbagallo
Centre for Employment Relations, Innovation and Change
Leeds University Business School
- Twitter: @childcarecovid
- Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/Childcare-During-Covid-101269791781585
