Talking Early Years with June O'Sullivan

In this podcast with Prue Leith, we discover that Prue’s approach to life is summed up by her autobiography, “I'd Try Anything Once” and the more she talks the more you believe it! From posh white girl in South Africa  to judge on Bake Off,  food dominates Prue’s career. Her passion is undimmed as is her patience with the stupidity of politicians. She provides an entertaining but thoughtful summary of her efforts to put small children's health and access to food right at the centre of modern politics. We might even end up with a Masterchef for Nursery cuisine. Listen to Prue’s stimulating take on what we should do!

“I see myself as the Benjamin Button of Education” In conversation with Dr Ger Graus. The power of play is recognised within the Early Years sector as essential to children’s development. Playing is a child’s right and is our main teaching tool.  As Friedrich Froebel said so eloquently back in 1837, “Play is the highest expression of human development in childhood for it alone is the free expression of what is in a child's soul.” Yet today, we are limiting children’s opportunity for play more and more.  I still hear people’s stories of how children as young as three are told to ‘Finish your work and then you can go and play’ or ‘you are behind with your work, so you miss playtime’. My podcast guest is Dr Ger Graus OBE who was the first director of KidZania, which went on to be one the fastest growing global educational entertainment brands, with 28 locations around the world.  I first met him in 2016 when I visited KidZania to see how we could adapt the experiences for children aged three and four. We were defeated by the safeguarding implications of letting children have the freedom to explore without adult supervision.  For Ger, Early Years is not a place to drop off a child for a few hours to get a reprieve for parental responsibility but a place of education and care, with staff doing their best to educate children. A child is everyone’s responsibility! He argues that our job is to create an education which helps children navigate the technological revolution. To do that, Ger is keen that we agree what 10 experiences every four-year-old should have. What do you think? 

According to Barnardos, it is estimated that there are up to 310,000 children every year with a parent in prison in England and Wales. And for those children, this can lead to poor physical and mental health and significant trauma, especially as some of them will have witnessed some of the criminal activity or even the arrest of their parent.  It is not unheard that no one collects a child from school because they have been convicted at a court hearing earlier in the day.  Can you imagine the impact on a child?These conversations led to an introduction to Andy Keen-Downs, CEO of PACT.  He described the125 year-old children’s charity within the prison service as a well-kept secret! In this podcast he tells us more about PACT and the National Prisoners Helpline 0808 808 2003 which provides lots of support and information for families and  had 30,000 calls over the past 12 months: Prisoners' Families Helpline (prisonersfamilies.org). There is some support for older children and professionals: For children | Prison Advice and Care Trust and For professionals | Prison Advice and Care Trust but this podcast is all about what we can do in the Early Years to help. Here is a taster statistic that will make you think!Six out of 10 boys with a father  in prison  will follow their father into prison, and they're more likely to go to prison than to go to university.One of the LEYF managers recounted a story that sadly supported this statistic. She remembered one of the children aged 4 announcing that her Dad was in jail and when she grew up she would go to jail too.  She said:            “I will be a burglar because I am very good at creeping around and climbing”At LEYF we have now developed a pack for the Early Years sector in collaboration with PACT to help people respond when they know or suspect that a child’s parent may be in prison.  It is such a sensitive situation requiring deep levels of compassion to navigate because people remain very ashamed of the situation.   We know that when families are able to support the prisoner , reoffending drops by 39%, which is significant for the children living in those families. Our job is to remember that we must never write off children of prisoners and reject the expression of  ‘the apple doesn't fall far from the tree’. Every child has promise and if you believe this and you want system change then listen to the podcast!

Workout to Help with Salas… and Bring Kindness to the World Life is very serendipitous and leads to meeting some very engaging people who want to do something helpful with their time on this earth. Salas Baldas is one of these people.  I heard about his work from a friend of mine who attended his workouts during Covid lockdown and then I discovered how he developed these workouts to support people all over the world through his project ’Workout to Help’. Salas was born in Guinea Bissau in West Africa, moved to Portugal, Lisbon when he was about 10 years and now lives in south London. His story is about how to turn something you enjoyinto a way of becoming.  It is how simple ideas can be used to support people who are struggling through connections and conversations. He is the antithesis of the view shared by Mohamed Yunus Link that indifference is the enemy.  After the pandemic lock-down rules were lifted, Salas and his friend, Nico took their van and travelled to Africa,Brazil and Peru to support local individuals and families in need of help.  For example, they provided a wheelchair to a family in Peru and repaired a house in Dominica which included giving the family a front door and windows so they felt safe.  His ’Workout to Help’ has now become a network which he is funding from the profits of his new clothing line.  His delightful new cartoon book,  Workout to Help traveling the world with Salas: Guinea-Bissau (and just published on Amazon) tells of his personal story which is beautifully illustrated and teaches children what kindness and empathy can look like. Salas is a great role model for our children and, over the next few months, will come and tell his story to schools and groups. I suggest you connect with him, not least because his sheer positivity and joy will light up your day, but his message about the need to do better for the world should resonate with all of us . Listen to his podcast and connect. 

Sarah Ronan, Director of the recently formed Early Education and Care Coalition (EECC) joined me to talk about the EECC. As a fellow Cork woman, she got a warm welcome!The Early Years sector is often criticised for not always speaking with one voice, a consequence of being part of a very fragmented sector. The Coalition has been developing over the past year and is the brainchild of Lucie Stephens who some people will know from her work at the New Economics Foundation.The Coalition has been set up to raise the importance of the Early Years; a cohesive voice to send a strong message to government and political parties that you cannot separate our interests, as we all want the best and most sustainable policy decisions to secure the sector. This must be of benefit for all children and reduce the way current policy is creating a gap between affluent and disadvantaged children. As Sarah says:The clunky and segmented treatment of policy in this area has been delivered through the single lens of parental employment without a much bigger holistic view of the way in which it touches everyone's life. It also highlights the way in which the Government Departments need to interact when it comes to the life cycle of a child. They need to come together as well.The Coalition commissioned a report from Claremont Behavioural Change Agency which looked at the public perception of the sector was very interesting, explaining that most people understood childcare but struggled with the concept of Early Education and Care, a finding that was supported by the Royal Foundation Centre research last year.  Given 42% of people said childcare would influence their choice of votes in the next election then maybe the Coalition can help. I look forward to joining them at a panel at the Labour Party Conference this weekend.If you are interested in a helping shape a plan to creating a national Early Years strategy and committed to working together then listen here and consider how you and your wider circle can step in and step up.

Solitaire Townsend is a remarkable woman. She is one of the leading international voices on communicating sustainability. In 2001, she co-founded Futerra, one of the few UK communications consultancies to specialise solely in sustainable development and corporate social responsibility. She has worked with senior management on internal and external initiatives across the UK, Europe and North America, implementing real and impactful solutions for a broad range of businesses, governments and NGO's including Unilever, Barnet Council, Shell, DECC, DFID, Defra and Greenpeace. She is also a member of the UN Sustainable Lifestyles Taskforce and a member of the Green Alliance. In 2008, she was named one of fifteen 'London Leaders' by the Mayor of London. Her TED Talk in October 2021 asked the audience ‘Are ad agencies, PR firms and lobbyists destroying the climate?’ Soli’s work is not directly linked to children but she agrees that sustainability must begin with  our youngest citizens. She recognises the importance of positive narratives in a world where studies such as The Lancet Planetary Health (2021) are finding more and more children are suffering climate anxiety.  I firmly believe we can all make progress if we combine the forces of education and business to create a strong and positive narrative. Yet in doing so, children need each and everyone one of us to step up in our own way and begin paving the way to solving the biggest crisis our planet has ever faced. If you want to find out how you can do this, listen to this podcast

It is not every day you get to talk to the Mayor’s Walking & Cycling Commissioner, but this is exactly who I am talking to in this podcast.  Dr. Will Norman became London's first Walking and Cycling Commissioner in 2016 and now leads the Mayor’s work to make the capital’s streets safer for walking and cycling, enabling thousands more Londoners to choose greener, cleaner and healthier ways of traveling around the city.  Being able to walk and cycle safely in the city should be the right of every family in London, yet many London parents believe the capital's traffic-choked roads are too dangerous for their children to cycle on.   However, given carbon footprint is one measure of sustainability and transport is 18% of that, it should be of no surprise just how beneficial both walking and cycling is for our health and the planet when done safely.  As obesity rates among children soar and the planet becomes even more damaged, what better way to take action and learn how to ride a bike because children who cycle regularly are more likely to become active adults.Will is full of interesting facts and suggestions including the TfL grants designed to support settings instigate walking and / or cycling initiatives.Listen to this Podcast to find out more

For International Men’s Day on the 19th November 2012, I invited as many men as I could find who worked in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) to join us for a drink to discuss how we might build a London Men in Childcare Network.We wanted to create a place where we could learn from the men who worked in Early Years about how they were experiencing the sector.  The evening was sparked by a conversation with David Stevens, who persuaded me that we should do more about encouraging Men in Childcare (MiC) across the sector, not just at LEYF.  At the time, David was a Nursery Manager of a nursery where four of the six staff were men.  This had not been a planned staffing arrangement but happened because other men wanted to be in a setting where they felt welcomed.  Since then, we have conducted plenty of surveys which show that nearly 100% of female nursery staff were generally supportive of having male colleagues. They like the balance and think that it’s also good for children to see the gender stereotypes disrupted.  We saw progress with a steady 8% at LEYF, but this was still not good enough. Given the efforts to encourage MiC, why has the sector begun to slip backwards again, given the obvious benefits for both children and staff? We are now back down to 2%, behind even the Government’s own target of 3%. This is the question I often discuss with David Stevens (Nursery Teacher), Greg Lane (below, Manager of Soho Nursery and Arts & Cultural Partnerships Lead) and Konstantinos Skordas (Pedagogy Manager and Chair of the LEYF MiC Community of Practice group).Listen and let us know what you think? Should we have more MiC?  Do we need a wider MiC Community of Practice?  

My guest, Stuart Lewis, CEO of Rest Less, began to think about another response after conversations with his dad about the length of retirement.  He noted that his dad would have spent 25 years in retirement which is enough time to rethink a career. I totally understood that because my own Dad only stopped driving his taxi aged 75 and probably would have gone on longer but he had to care for my mother. After his dad died, Stuart watched a programme about an intergenerational nursery and was moved by the benefits of having older people and children together.  Underpinned by the impetus that necessity is the mother of invention, he formed Rest Less, a staffing agency focused on the Over 50s.  It was a sensible response when you learn that: 1/3 of the working population is over the age of 50 Retention of the over 50s is better70% of employment growth is in the over 50s age bracketHalf a million people over the age of 50 want to workIntergenerational teams have better outcomes for staff and the business However, we do live in a very ageist world, especially for women. People operate in negative stereotypes and think older people are not physically able and will be off sick more.  That is not true!  I would assert that ageism is socially acceptable and it's often missing from the EDI agenda.   The UK chancellor says he wants more of these people back to work. But statements alone at a national level simply cannot change things. Organisations need to think about their own longevity strategies and how that relates to members of their workforce who need to feel encouraged, valued and included if there is any hope of retaining them. A continued shortage of labour and an aging workforce will weigh heavy on growth prospects for the UK economy.  So, let’s be creative. Chuck out the ageist bias like Ikea chucked out the chintz! Listen to my podcast with Stuart and find out how to engage with the Over 50s

As an organisation, we have always been involved with issues of poverty and it was interesting to find that back in 1926 we were involved with the National Cookery School of Cookery which is a slightly different twist to what we are doing now. Our organisation then was known as the City of Westminster Society of Health and was helping parents to learn how to cook to support their children’s health. Children were dying from malnutrition because they had too little to eat whilst today, children from poorer families are suffering from obesity resulting from a diet of poor-quality food high in fat, sugar and salt.  Early Years is a highly political space where powerful issues of finance, education, employment, health, housing, and care all collide and we have to navigate through this with children’s futures central to the debate. Today, we are helping by training our chefs as part of the LEYF Early Years Chef Academy, running food banks and partnering with food pantries and food distribution organisations such as City Harvest.In this podcast, I am talking to two inspirational LEYF managers who have each gone that extra mile in the name of helping to tackle food poverty and supporting their local community.  

The Year That is 2023 – This year, we are proud to celebrate 120 years of LEYF. It’s been fascinating to reflect back on what has changed over that time (both good and bad) and what essentially remains the same. I consider children to be the litmus test of society and my reflections support this. Listen in to my interview reflecting on the LEYF history with two of our longest serving LEYF staff – Maureen and Gary, and one of our apprentices, Danayt.Look out for our new Podcast series of “Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things” and we are kicking off with Food Poverty.

I was introduced to coaching by Stephen Gribben many years ago.  It was an interesting experience, and one I was not too sure how to make the best use of his generous pro bono service. However, I soon warmed to the idea of coaching which has remained with me and today we now put as many staff as possible through the Level 3 Diploma in Coaching.  Since then, Stephen has written a very informative book which has explored the subject even further.  In this podcast we explore why people choose to be coached, what are their coaching intentions, do men are coached more than women and who chooses to be coached. A high proportion of those accessing coaching are CEOs, which does not surprise me because being a CEO is a lonely place whereby a CEO needs a space to think, to feel and just to download. You cannot do that with your team. Of course, coaching is more successful if you are clear about the real reasons you want to engage with one. It can be a suggestion from your manager as part of your self-development.  Stephen got very passionate about the difference between self-improvement and self-development and what that means. People have many reasons for having a coach, but it often starts because you want help to solve a problem or reframe it. For example, preparing to have a difficult conversation where the outcome is that both conversationalists survive and thrive from the conversation or being coached because you want to learn and not let your emotions dictate your choices, decisions and approaches or as singer/song writer, Cat Burns would say – avoid being a People Pleaser.  This podcast explores these issues and many more and leaves you with some thoughts to guide you along the coaching pathway. Click here to listen 

What have Food Banks got to do with the Early Years? This year, LEYF is celebrating 120 years of history. In doing so, we are reflecting on what was in order to look towards the future.  As an organisation, we have always been involved with issues of poverty and it was interesting to find that back in 1926 we were involved with the National Cookery School of Cookery which is a slightly different twist to what we are doing now. In this podcast, I am talking to two inspirational LEYF managers who have each gone that extra mile in the name of helping to tackle food poverty and supporting their local community.  

June kicked off this year’s podcast chatting to the well-informed Krupesh Hirani, London Assembly Member for Brent and Chair of the London Assembly Health Committee and the Health Inequalities Committee. 

Listen as Teresa Heaney, CEO of Early Childhood Ireland, explains how the Irish government has agreed to a number of positive actions following the publication of their evidence-based strategy, called First Five.

June has been using the word, ‘pedagogy’ for many years and is now beyond delighted that LEYF can employ Pedagogy Coaches to support its nurseries understand how to embed pedagogy in their daily practice.  Listen to June chat with Siobhan, Konstantinos and Ricky, who explain the role of a Pedagogy Coach at LEYF and how it helps to builds  a quality practice!

Celebrating the publication of their new book: Social Leadership in Early Childhood Education and Care: An Introduction, June and Mona sit down for a frank discussion about social leadership. By narrating the leadership of those who already lead with a social purpose in Early Childhood Education and Care, we can encourage more conversations about social leadership. Pour a cup of tea, and enjoy.https://amzn.to/3R202pY 

 Do you enjoy listening to an honest, funny, down to earth conversation?  That sums up June's chat with serial social entrepreneur Karen Lynch. June met Karen many years ago when Karen was invited to rescue Belu Water which was in debt and its future was looking unsustainable. She stayed, turned it round and left it last year in a good place able to meet her £1m donation to Water Aid. 

Why is child poverty not on the agenda? It’s a horrible situation that doesn’t just affect the child but the wider society. In this podcast I am discussing the issue with Katherine Hill who is the Strategic Project Lead for the London Child Poverty Alliance.  

Whilst filming on-set with her newborn son, Charlotte Riley became very aware of how the lack of childcare was detrimental to the careers of so many women and men working in the film industry. She soon recognised that the kind efforts to support her bringing her baby on set could work for the lead actor but it was not an option for the hundreds of others who form the essential production team – without which no film or programme could ever be produced.Listen to June chat with Charlotte about how her mission to improve childcare provision for the UK film industry has been a catalyst for deeper conversations on breast-feeding, menopause and ageism .