Early Years Commission

We were invited to submit our research evidence to the independent, cross-party Early Years Commission (chaired by Sharon Hodgson MP and Edward Timpson MP) to build a consensus on the future of early years policy.

The commission looked at the long-term implications and the policy solutions needed regarding the critical importance of a child’s early years. However, whilst they stated that they would ‘draw on evidence’ their focus was ‘on establishing consensus’ on existing proposed solutions. In this light our submission did not answer the exam questions but challenged current orthodoxy by making the point that the optimum carer for a young child is its mother and, rather than penalise this form of childcare, we should support it.

MAHM’s Summary of the current Early Years landscape:

• Mothers wish to be with their children and very young children are designed to be with their mothers.

• For the last 15 years mothers have been saying that, if it was affordable, they would rather be at home with their infants or spend less time away from their children.

• For a baby or young child the optimum carer is the mother. Yet no political party is prepared to advocate this and every so-called ‘family policy’ in the last 15 years has sought to separate mother from child at an ever younger age and for ever-increasing hours.

• During this time we have seen a sharp decline in maternal mental health and in that of children and young adults. Parents who are primary carers feel little valued whilst society values careers as more worthwhile.

• We need to radically rethink our childcare policy empowering families to make their own decisions about what is in the best interests of themselves and their children.

Thank you to Sarah Douglas-Pennant, Anne Fennell and Maria Lyons for their work in drawing together the research for this submission.