Rob Fox:- Active Childhood U.K

22/02/2025

📢 The Government is Failing the PVI Sector—Enough is Enough!

🚨 They say early years is a priority. They say school readiness begins in nursery. But look at the reality…

💰 Underfunded nurseries struggling to survive.
👩‍🏫 Overworked, underpaid staff leaving in droves.
🏫 State-run nurseries getting preferential treatment while PVIs carry the burden.

The government expects us to deliver “free” childcare—but there’s NOTHING free about running a nursery!

🔥 Enough is enough! It’s time to take back control. 🔥

Here’s what we MUST do:

✅ Demand fair funding – No more being forced to operate at a loss while state settings are propped up.

✅ Charge fairly & transparently – Meals, nappies, extras—these cost money. Stop apologizing for it.

✅ Educate parents – They NEED to know the funding doesn’t cover real costs.

✅ Call out the hypocrisy – If schools were funded like this, there would be OUTRAGE. Why is early years different?

💡 We’re not babysitters. We are educators. We are the foundation of the education system. And we refuse to be ignored.

🔥 Drop a 💪 in the comments if you’re ready to fight for fair funding! Let’s make them listen. 🔥

21/02/2025

21/02/2025

🚨 The Silent Crisis in Early Years 🚨

I am a neurodivergent nursery owner—and I see the world differently. I always have.

I know what it feels like to be forced into a system that wasn’t built for you. To be told the way you learn, the way you think, the way you exist is wrong.

Now, I watch as this same system begins swallowing our youngest children.

Because make no mistake—the schoolification of early years is not just bad policy. It’s a crisis.

🚨 A crisis of identity—forcing children to conform before they even know who they are.
🚨 A crisis of learning—turning nurseries into school prep instead of spaces of discovery.
🚨 A crisis of mental health—teaching kids their worth is measured by checklists, not curiosity.

And for neurodivergent children, the damage is worse.

When you tell a child:
❌ “Sit still.”
❌ “Stop focusing on that.”
❌ “Learn like everyone else.”

What they hear is:
⚠️ “You are not enough as you are.”
⚠️ “Your way of thinking is wrong.”
⚠️ “You must change to be accepted.”

And that’s how it starts. Masking. Shame. Self-doubt.

Instead of celebrating difference, the system is trying to erase it.
📌 More structure, less play.
📌 More pressure, less joy.
📌 More rules, less freedom.

But I refuse to let my nursery become another factory of conformity.

💡 I will protect play, because play is how children learn best.
💡 I will honor different ways of thinking, because difference is power.
💡 I will fight for childhood, because once it’s gone, you don’t get it back.

Because when we force children to change, we don’t just take away their childhood.

We take away their future selves.

And I will never be part of that.

21/02/2025

🚨 The Government’s Free Childcare Scheme is Setting Nurseries Up to Fail 🚨

The government’s “free” childcare expansion is coming in April—but let’s be real. Who’s actually paying for it? Nurseries and childminders.

Once again, early years providers are being underfunded, overworked, and ignored. We’re expected to deliver more, with less.

💸 Funding is a Joke
The government’s rates do not cover the real costs of running a nursery.
📉 Rising wages, rent, and energy bills
📉 No top-up fees allowed (for meals, nappies, trips)
📉 Nurseries left picking up the tab

🚧 Not Enough Staff, Not Enough Space
They’re promising thousands of “free” places… but where?
❌ No trained staff – wages are too low
❌ No expansion support – we’re already at capacity
❌ Lower staff-to-child ratios – more kids, less care

⚠️ The Real Fallout
❌ Nursery closures – Many simply won’t survive
❌ Lower quality childcare – Overcrowded, overstretched staff
❌ Childcare deserts – Parents will struggle to find places
❌ More hidden costs – Nurseries have to cover their losses somehow

This isn’t “free” childcare—it’s a cost shift onto struggling providers. And when it collapses, who will the government blame? Not themselves.

It’s time to speak up before it’s too late. Early years professionals deserve better.

02/02/2025