13/06/2026
Love this post from Angela Hines. Very interesting and valid points regarding the fundamentals of childhood throughout history regarding the importance of nurturing, caring and responsive relationships β€
Angela Hines original post:
What can the history of child care teach us today? More than you might think.
When we look back at the evolution of child careβfrom villages and family networks to modern early learning programsβwe discover that while methods have changed, the needs of children have remained remarkably consistent.
ποΈ Lesson 1: Children Need Relationships
In ancient communities, children were raised by families, elders, and neighbors. Todayβs research confirms what those communities already knew:
β€οΈ Relationships are the foundation of learning.
Before children can learn, they need to feel safe, connected, and valued.
βΈ»
π Lesson 2: Play Has Always Been Learning
Long before curriculum manuals existed, children learned through exploration, observation, imitation, and play.
Today, neuroscience and child development research tell us the same thing:
π§ Play builds language, problem-solving, creativity, self-regulation, and social skills.
Play is not a break from learning.
Play is learning.
βΈ»
π©βπ« Lesson 3: Educators Matter
History has moved child care from simple supervision to intentional teaching and development.
We now know that:
β Skilled educators change outcomes.
β Positive teacher-child interactions matter.
β Early experiences shape lifelong development.
βΈ»
π€ Lesson 4: Families Are Essential Partners
Whether in villages, homes, or classrooms, children thrive when families and caregivers work together.
The strongest programs donβt replace families.
They partner with them.
βΈ»
𧩠Lesson 5: One Size Does Not Fit All
Montessori taught us about independence.
Piaget taught us about developmental stages.
Vygotsky taught us about relationships and scaffolding.
Together, they remind us:
π± Children develop differently.
π± Learning is individualized.
π± Growth happens when support matches need.
βΈ»
ποΈ Lesson 6: Child Care Is More Than Child Care
History shows that child care has always been connected to the health of communities and economies.
When families have access to quality care:
β
Children benefit
β
Parents work
β
Businesses thrive
β
Communities grow
βΈ»
The Big Takeaway
The greatest lesson history teaches us is this:
π‘ Children have not changed nearly as much as the world around them has.
They still need:
β€οΈ Relationships
π Play
π± Exploration
π€ Connection
π§ Skilled guidance
The tools may evolve. The research may expand.
But the formula for helping children thrive remains surprisingly timeless.
The best way to move early childhood education forward may be to remember what history has been teaching us all along β€
Angela is American so her poster mentions the US early years programme 'Head Start' established in the 1960s - probably similar to the Sure Start programme in the UK (late 1990s-2010) that addressed inequalities in the early years.
Interesting fact: Did you know Head Start began the television series 'Sesame Street' in 1968.
Here is the UK history of childcare:
(Reference: https://www.mortonmichel.com/news/history-of-childcare)
Instead of Head Start in the 1960s the UK had a limited nursery system with a focus on traditional stay-at home motherhood. The Plowden report, published in 1967, found that the few existing nurseries had twice as many children on their waiting lists as places (sound familiar). The report recommended that all children should have some access to early years childcare. The remit of childcare fell to the Ministry of Health rather than education where 'day nurseries' would meet the physical rather than the educational needs of children while the mother went to work. These changes led to the 1970s 'Playgroup Movement' with an amendment to the Nursery and Child Minders Act (1948) - the first UK legislation to officially to formally recognise and regulate childminders. In the 1970s the 'Playgroup Movement' resulted in 4,000 new settings registered across the country driven by mother's setting up provision where there was none before. Provision was led by mother's with a deep understanding of the importance of play for childhood development.
Since then there has been many changes in childcare in the UK over the years including the 1980 National Childcare Campaign and feminist movement calling for universal access to childcare and more equality in the workplace. In 1987 there was the introduction of The Children Act, 1987 linked to the National Convention Rights of the Child - this still drives many decisions regarding policy decision making and research in the UK. In the late 1980s and 1990s the nursery sector became more professionalised with more trained early years educators leading provision resulting in a more varied choice of provision, offering more hours and different educational activities.
In the 1990s wraparound care for older school age children became popular. In 1997 the new Labour government introduced a number of new childcare reforms with the first "free" early education entitlement and in 2001 the Early Years Directorate formed at Ofsted, with a responsibility for inspecting early years providers and setting new National Standards. The focus was now on education rather than care, so as to give children a better start in life. This strategy resulted in almost 700,000 new places created by 2001.
In 2006 there was the passing of the Childcare Act, 2006 - this set the groundwork for the Early Years Foundation Stage in 2008. It was controversial at the time as it set a curriculum for the early childhood sector that many felt was too restrictive and devalued the importance of play. However the critical importance of early childhood development through ongoing research highlights the role of good quality early years provision and interventions.
The financial crisis that began in 2008 led to stagnant wages and unaffordable childcare costs. The controversial "free" hours entitlement to childcare led to a rapid change in childcare provision with smaller community settings struggling to stay open and larger nursery chains growing in size. Childminder numbers began to decline rapidly and are unfortunately still declining. The current early years funding model ultimately does not cover the cost of provision leading to the early years sector buckling under the strain and parents left without childcare. There are many ongoing debates at the moment regarding funding provision, lack of adequate childcare places, qualifications, curriculum and pedagogy.
However, what remains important at the heart of all of this is championing the rights of children, which includes balancing the rights of early years educators and the rights of working families. This includes fair access to funded childcare for all (including low income families and students - currently middle and higher income families are benefitting the most from funded hours, which means the children living in poverty who need the best start in life are missing out on quality early years education). Early years educators require adequate funding, decent working conditions including decent hours and wages, educational training and career progression. Working families require more rights in the workplace regarding flexible work arrangements and better maternity and paternity rights. This requires a new early years workforce strategy and changes in the rights of families in the workplace. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for early years education.
