Achieving Early Years Professional

Status: EYPs evaluate the process

and its impact on professional identity

EECERA Conference Prague - 2007

Gill Goodliff
The Centre for Research in Education &
Educational Technology
The Open University
Walton Hall
Milton Keynes
MK7 6AA

www.open.ac.uk
Introduction
In this paper:
I report on EYP candidates evaluation of participating in the OU
Phase one pilot Validation process.
I describe the wider policy context to the reform of the Childrens
workforce in England and the development of the Early Years
Professional role
I outline my theoretical framework and methodology
I describe the stages in the 3 month Validation Process, and
Drawing on qualitative analysis of questionnaire and interview
data, I use the written and spoken voices of the EYP candidates
to discuss my emerging findings and themes related to their
professional role and identity.


Background: The reform of the
childrens workforce
Every Child Matters (DfES, 2003)
Children Act, 2004
Every Child Matters: Change for Children (DfES, 2004)
Every Child Matters: Next Steps (DfES, 2004)
The Ten Year Childcare Strategy: Choice for Parents the
Best Start for Children (HMT, 2004)
Childcare Act, 2006
Childrens Workforce Development Council (CWDC)
early years workforce consultation (CWDC, 2005)


Early Years Professional a new
role
Graduate (Level 6) key to raising quality of early years
provision
Change agents to improve practice (CWDC, 2006)
Equivalent in level to qualified teacher status
Should lead the delivery of the new Early Years
Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum for 0-5s
Aim to have EYPs in all childrens centres offering early
years provision by 2010 and in all full daycare settings
by 2015

Professionalism
An ongoing debate (Oberheumer, 2005, Osgood, 2006,
Cable, Goodliff and Miller, 2007)
A new style of professionalism (Curtis and Hevey, 1996)
EYPs professional boundary crossers (Manning-
Morton, 2006)
Prevailing deficit view
Occupational status determined by the perceived image
of an occupation (Hoyle, 2001)
it requires high levels of professional knowledge
coupled with self-esteem and self-confidence (Moyles,
2001)

Professional identity
Cultural construct
Agency and esteem central to the concept of self and
construction of ones identity relational view (Bruner,
1996)
Belonging to and participating in a community of practice
helps form a persons identity (Wenger, 1998)
How do new EYPs evaluate the EYP role and validation
process?
Where do they position themselves as professionals?
The Open University in
partnership with National Day
Nurseries Association

National Provider in Pilot phase
Allocated 100 places
107 potential candidates recruited (experienced
practitioners with degree and Level 2 qualifications in
English and Maths)
92 commenced the preparation
64 candidates continued after Needs Assessment

EYP Pilot Validation Process
Candidate preparation (2 days or equivalent) on
understanding EYP Standards and extent of EYP role
before
Needs Assessment (half day) time limited skills based
exercises formative feedback on readiness to proceed
Candidate preparation (2 days or equivalent) for
Assessment Stage:
Written tasks; portfolio of evidence; negotiation of
Setting Visit Tour of setting; interviews;
The Study - Methodology
Evaluation questionnaires sent in December 2006 to all
64 candidates who completed the final assessment
stage
31 responses giving a 48% response rate
10 successful EYPs random geographical selection -
invited to participate in telephone interviews
Interviews March/April 2007
Phenomenological approach to analysis of interview
data

Job role Early years context
Owner/Principal Small private Montessori school
Qualified teacher Large private day nursery on HEI
campus
Senior Practitioner Voluntary pre-school playgroup
Deputy Co-ordinator Large community day nursery
Early years support worker Employed by local authority (children
with complex needs Birth to 5)
Owner/Manager Large private day nursery
Advisory teacher Employed by local authority to advise
and support staff in PVI early years
settings
Senior practitioner Private day nursery
Table 1 Occupation and context of
interviewed participants
Emerging themes

Participation - agency and self-esteem
Positioning and identity
Passion and belonging


Participation and self-esteem

Although I understand EYPS is not a
qualification just a status which as a
nursery owner will not benefit my career,
it will give my ego a boost to have
something to reflect my years of
experience in childcare.
I feel extremely proud of having done it
and achieved it cos it will help not just me
but my setting.
I think being at the forefront of a new
initiative is fantastic for professional
development, for improving confidence in
our own practice and being able to
receive national recognition for the
importance of the work we do.
Again I think it [Needs Assessment] was
really good experience for me. I did find
the whole day there excellent; I did find
the interview we had to do ..the questions
that we were asked it was all very
relevant to what you do on a daily basis..
it was like .. the talking about what you do
that nobody ever wants to hear. Deputy Co-
ordinator Community Day Nursery
Positioning
I applied because it was going to give me a
status which I didnt feel that people in
my situation had before EYPS appeared
I didnt feel I had it and I felt that if I
could say to my parents, to my colleagues,
to other people in the profession that I
had this status that was really important
because it represented a certain amount
of training and experience and or
expertise.
Principal of small private nursery school
I think it has given me more confidence in
what Im doing. So, the people that I
work with, it has helped them to
recognise my skills in a way. .. They
[staff] in a way have more confidence in
me now because they can see that I have
this nationally recognised status it gives
them something to think, yeah thats my
achievement and that shes that person.
Being able to have the opportunity to be
accredited for my everyday work;
Being able to reflect on my practice when
looking for suitable evidence;
Having my self-esteem boosted through
gathering witness testimony
Passion and belonging
The pathway has enabled me to meet with
other professionals working in different
environments
It was great having the opportunity to
meet and network with other
professionals from a wide range of
settings across the country

Because it was something that I
suppose I wanted to see for a
long, long time. Because Ive been
in Early Years Education for
sixteen years nearly now, I felt
that this was an affirmation that
EY workers can be seen as
professionals in their own right.
Early Years Support worker
It gives them [staff] a more definite
idea of what it is that I do. Whereas
before I would get asked if I was a
teacher or Id be asked do I train
people or what I do. But now it gives
the people who work with me a
clearer picture of what I do. Manager, large day
nursery

Concluding thoughts
Participating in the Validation Process had offered
opportunities for agentive experiences that participants
evaluated had impacted on their self-esteem
Participants saw achieving EYP status offered potential
for changing the image of their professional status
They valued the opportunity to form and belong to a new
community of practice
BUT
They voiced an uncertainty that the aims of the policy
agenda behind Early Years Professional Status would
be sustained.

The EYPS course is still under a great deal of
suspicion in the industry. It is very difficult to
see how the governments plans to have an EYP
in every setting could ever be realized given
the small number of graduates in the childcare
workforce. Every candidate I spoke to during
the briefing days felt that the scheme would
be quietly dropped or the entry requirements
would be reduced dramatically after the pilot
scheme. We felt that we were probably
wasting our time but were prepared to
sacrifice our free time for a few months to
possibly advance our careers.