More men encouraged to join early-years profession

Men are to be encouraged in to a careers in early years settings to provide more diverse role models for children before they start school.

Men make up just three per cent of early years staff in England, and the project aims to bust the myth that men are less suited to caring roles.

A £30,000 DfE grant is supporting the scheme, which run by the Fatherhood Institute. 

To support careers advisers and early years employers across the country, the project will spearhead an innovative recruitment drive that highlights the positive roles men can play in the crucial first years of a child’s education.

Using the government’s new investment, the Fatherhood Institute will provide practical resources like mythbusters, ‘how-to’ guides and online content to support male recruitment into the profession, as well as online peer support for men already working in the sector."

The project’s ambition is to reflect the diversity of modern Britain within early years settings, where both parents play an increasingly active role in their child’s development.