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‘We’re educators, not just babysitters. But no one listens.’

This remark, shared by a participant in my doctoral research on the experiences of leadership in early years, captures the frustration at the heart of the workforce. Despite being highly skilled professionals, practitioners and leaders remain underpaid, undervalued and misunderstood (Early Years Alliance, 2022). What is often overlooked is the emotional labour that sustains the sector related to work that is relational, disproportionately carried out by women, and rarely acknowledged in policy or public discourse.

The invisible work of care

Early Years practice is grounded in relationships with children, families and communities. Practitioners invest emotionally as well as professionally, absorbing the worries, challenges and hopes of families. One leader reflected: ‘It’s quite a big emotional load to carry … I worry about the children when I’m at home.’

Yet in policy terms, this labour is invisible. Osgood (2010) argues that relational work is routinely devalued, framed as ‘natural’ to women rather than recognised as professional expertise. Rodd (2013) similarly notes that leadership in early years involves ethical and relational commitments that extend far beyond managerial expectations. These dimensions are rarely reflected in frameworks dominated by data, compliance and accountability.

The emotional cost

Participants in my research described pride in their work but also its toll. Summer explained: ‘It can be lonely. It can be brilliant. I do think it’s every single emotion you can possibly feel.’ That intensity often tips into exhaustion. Later, she admitted: ‘I hate it with passion, how much emotionally it just plays on my mind all the time.’

The relentlessness of the role is evident. ‘I go to work at 4:00 a.m. just to stay on top of things … my husband thinks I’m nuts, but it’s the only way to keep afloat,’ shares Iman. Her words echo Murray and McDowall Clark’s (2013) findings that policy-driven accountability structures intensify leaders’ workloads, often pushing them into unsustainable practices. Over time, responsibilities that extend across safeguarding, administration and family support create cumulative strain, aligning with Campbell-Barr’s (2018) critique that policy frames leaders primarily as managers rather than relational practitioners.

Gendered expectations

‘Emotional work, so often seen as an extension of mothering, is seldom treated as professional knowledge.’

The workforce remains overwhelmingly female: women make up 97 per cent of staff at school-based providers and childminders, and 98 per cent of staff at group-based providers (House of Commons Library, 2024). This entrenches the expectation that women will ‘naturally’ provide care. Emotional work, so often seen as an extension of mothering, is seldom treated as professional knowledge. Instead, it is taken for granted, reflecting what Fairchild and Mikuska (2021) identify as the persistent undervaluing of emotional labour in English early years policy and discourse. Such assumptions both feminise and diminish the profession, contributing to its low status and poor pay.

Conclusion

The early years workforce is at a tipping point. Without recognition of the emotional labour that sustains it, we risk losing skilled and passionate professionals. As one practitioner said plainly: ‘We’re on call all the time.’ This is not sustainable.

If the sector is to thrive, emotional labour must be recognised as central to practice and leadership. This means moving beyond managerial metrics to value the complex, human work of practitioners and leaders. Policymakers must engage with the workforce not as implementers of directives but as knowledge-holders whose relational expertise is vital for children and families.

To value this work is not just to support practitioners but also to safeguard the quality of education and care that children receive. Emotional labour is professional labour, and it deserves to be seen, heard and respected.

References

Campbell-Barr, V. (2018). Professional knowledge and skills in the early years. SAGE.

Early Years Alliance. (2022, July 19). Early years ‘undervalued and misunderstood’, survey suggests [News article].

Fairchild, N., & Mikuska, E. (2021). Emotional labour, ordinary affects, and the early childhood education and care worker. Gender, Work & Organization, 28(3), 1177–1190.

House of Commons Library. (2024). The early years workforce in England (Research briefing CBP-9948).

Murray, J., & McDowall Clark, R. (2013). Reconceptualising leadership in the early years. Open University Press.

Osgood, J. (2010). Narratives from the nursery: Negotiating professional identities in early childhood. Routledge.

Rodd, J. (2013). Leadership in early childhood (4th ed.). Allen & Unwin.