Quest / EYES Early Years Educational Services

What happens before someone becomes the person teaching and supporting the next generation of early years practitioners?

For Emma Jayne Morgan and Sophie Booth, it began with practical experience and a willingness to take the next opportunity.

Emma Jayne Morgan first gained experience in nurseries by volunteering during her school holidays. She went on to become a teaching assistant, a teacher and then a nursery manager before joining QuEST.

Her journey gave her experience of supporting children directly, working with different age groups and understanding the responsibilities involved in leading a setting. She now uses that experience when teaching qualifications and delivering CPD.

Sophie Booth’s journey began differently. She initially worked in the kitchen of an after-school club because she had a food-hygiene qualification. When the team needed more help with the children, she volunteered—and discovered a career she genuinely enjoyed.

From there, Sophie progressed through roles including assistant, room leader, curriculum coordinator and deputy manager. After moving to the UAE, she continued working in nurseries before joining QuEST.

What connects their stories is that neither career began at the top. Both progressed through different early years roles, gained experience and continued learning along the way.

That matters when supporting learners. Emma and Sophie understand what it feels like to begin in an entry-level position, build confidence, take on additional responsibility and connect theory with the realities of working in a setting.

They are not teaching early years practice only from a textbook. They are drawing on careers spent working with children, practitioners, nursery teams and adult learners.

Are you at the beginning of your early years career—or thinking about what your next step could be?

Meet Sophie Booth and Emma Jayne Morgan in the full episode through the link in our bio or here:

https://www.eyes-me.com/post/our-quest-to-raise-the-bar-in-early-years-education

How much of the CPD you have completed can you actually remember?

Practitioners are often required to complete a certain number of professional-development hours. But completing the hours does not automatically mean that the training has been valuable.

Before booking your next course, webinar or workshop, take a moment to think about why you are choosing it.

Does it relate to your current role? Is it connected to an area you genuinely want to develop? Will it help you respond to a challenge in your setting? Are you likely to use what you learn once the session is over?

Some training will always be mandatory. Safeguarding, first aid and health and safety are essential parts of working in early years. Beyond those requirements, however, practitioners should have opportunities to choose CPD that reflects their individual interests, responsibilities and development needs.

Setting leaders can support this through meaningful supervision and appraisal conversations. Instead of choosing the same training for everyone, consider what each member of the team needs and how their learning could contribute to the wider setting.

Parents can also ask how a setting chooses its staff training. Does the team’s CPD respond to the needs of the children? Are practitioners given opportunities to develop their knowledge? How is learning brought back into the setting?

The number of hours completed tells you very little. What practitioners do with the learning is what matters.

What is one CPD session that genuinely changed something about your practice?

Listen to the full episode through the link in our bio or here:

https://www.eyes-me.com/post/what-makes-a-cpd-worth-your-time-and-your-investment

When a child is struggling to settle, there is rarely one quick or universal answer.

The most important starting points are patience, calm communication and partnership between the family and the setting.

Parents know their child best. They can share information about routines, interests, comforting objects, familiar words and anything that may be affecting the child at home.

Practitioners can use this information alongside their knowledge of the child within the setting.

Together, families and practitioners can consider what might help that individual child.

Would a familiar transition toy provide comfort?

Would arriving before the room becomes busy feel less overwhelming?

Would shorter but more frequent sessions help create familiarity?

Does the child simply need more time?

A strategy that helps one child may not be appropriate for another. That is why communication is so important. The settling-in process should respond to the child rather than expecting every child to follow exactly the same timetable.

Parents should feel able to share their concerns and ask questions. Practitioners should listen carefully, communicate honestly and explain how they are supporting the child throughout the day.

Transition works best when families and settings see one another as partners.

What has helped a child in your family or setting during a difficult transition? Share your experience in the comments.

“What if my child cries when I leave?”

This is one of the biggest worries many parents have before their child starts nursery or school.

The first thing to remember is that crying during drop-off is normal. Your child is entering an unfamiliar environment, separating from you and adjusting to a new routine. You may feel emotional too—and that is also completely understandable.

Try to prepare yourself for the possibility that drop-off may be difficult at first. Remaining as calm as possible can help because young children often notice and respond to the emotions of the adults around them.

Offer clear and simple reassurance. Tell your child where they are going, who will be with them and that you will return later.

The aim is not to prevent every emotion. It is to help your child experience those feelings while being supported by calm and trusted adults.

Settling in will look different for every child. Some children settle within a few days, while others need several weeks. A slower transition does not mean that anyone is doing something wrong.

Parents: what helped you and your child during those first drop-offs?

Practitioners: what advice do you usually share with families?

Tell us in the comments.

Are you new to the early years sector—or do you have new teaching assistants who are ready to begin their qualification journey?

The NCFE CACHE Level 2 Certificate in Introducing Caring for Children and Young People provides foundational knowledge for people beginning careers working with young children.

No previous early years experience is required to join the programme. This makes it suitable for those who are new to the sector and want to develop their knowledge through a recognised course of study.

The qualification includes six units covering areas such as:

✅ Understanding growth and development
✅ Communicating with young children
✅ Supporting play
✅ Health and safety

Assessment takes place through written assignments. Learners can choose between self-paced study or live online sessions, depending on the level of flexibility, tutor support and structure they need.

For setting leaders, supporting a new teaching assistant to gain a qualification can help them build foundational knowledge alongside their practical experience.

For learners, it can be an important first step towards developing confidence and beginning a career in early years.

Learn more about the course and choose your preferred study route:
https://www.eyes-me.com/cache-level-2

What do a setting’s training priorities tell us about its approach to quality?

Qualifications provide practitioners with essential knowledge, but early years professionals need opportunities to continue learning throughout their careers.

High-quality CPD can help practitioners refresh their knowledge, explore new ideas and strengthen areas of practice where they may need additional confidence. It can also support teams to respond to the changing needs of children, families and the wider sector.

For CPD to have a meaningful impact, it needs to be relevant. Training should connect with practitioners’ roles, their professional interests and the needs identified within the setting.

Completing a course or attending a session is only the beginning. Leaders also need to consider what happens afterwards:

• Is there time to discuss the learning as a team?
• Can practitioners apply the ideas within their work?
• Is the impact reviewed through observation or supervision?
• Are useful strategies shared with colleagues?
• Has anything changed for the children?

Parents may also want to ask settings how they support staff learning. A setting that invests in professional development demonstrates that it is willing to reflect, learn and continue improving.

The measure of successful CPD is not simply whether the training was completed. It is whether the learning contributes to stronger practice.

Listen to the full episode:

https://www.eyes-me.com/post/should-parents-and-staff-ask-about-a-setting-s-training-priorities

CPD should be more than a requirement to complete a certain number of training hours.

Once essential and mandatory training has been covered, practitioners need opportunities to think carefully about the professional development that will be most meaningful to them.

This begins with reflection:

What are you interested in?

Which areas of your practice would you like to strengthen?

Where would additional knowledge improve your confidence?

What could support the next stage of your career?

Although early years practitioners work within the same sector, they will not all have the same strengths, interests or development needs. A single training plan will therefore not provide the same value to every member of a team.

Supervision and appraisal conversations can help practitioners recognise what they do well, identify areas for development and choose learning that is relevant to their role.

For leaders, the question should not simply be, “Has this member of staff completed their CPD?”

It should also be, “How will this learning support their practice, the team and the children?”

Listen to the full episode on choosing CPD that is worth your time and investment:
https://www.eyes-me.com/post/what-makes-a-cpd-worth-your-time-and-your-investment