The Benefits of Men in Childcare

At Tommies Childcare, we firmly believe that both men and women have crucial roles in a child’s life, particularly in the early years.

While the key qualities we seek when recruiting staff are their passion for working with children, their qualifications, and their eagerness to learn, it’s clear that each gender can bring unique benefits to the childcare environment.

Unfortunately, there is a low number of men working in nurseries, which means many children miss out on the opportunity to develop relationships with male figures in the setting.

Recent official figures show that only 2% of people working in early years education in England are male – a statistic that has actually decreased in recent years (Source: Department for Education – Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey).

It’s disappointing that these low figures have remained largely unchanged for the past 25 years.

The Importance of Male Role Models

The Early Years Alliance in 2024 said, “There is no evidence that women are ‘naturally’ any better at the caregiving elements of early education than men are – and to suggest so or build a workforce on the basis of such an idea is to ‘box in’ female staff to a stereotype that overlooks the possibility of excelling in other skills and areas (like outdoor play for example) …and do the converse to men.”

With the majority of nursery practitioners being female, it’s easy for young children to grow familiar and comfortable with them.

However, we believe having male and female role models is essential for a balanced and enriching early years experience. A diverse team of practitioners can positively shape children’s perceptions of the world around them, regardless of gender.

Tommies Childcare: Our Stance

Although we currently have fewer male nursery practitioners than we would like, we deeply value the contributions they make to Tommies Childcare, just as we do with all our female employees.

We treat all our colleagues equally, regardless of gender, which means there are no exceptions to their roles based on whether they are male or female.

Our male practitioners are fully involved in all care duties, including nappy changing, toileting, and other responsibilities.

We do not make exceptions to this policy, even if requested by parents, as doing so would undermine the individual and devalue their vital role in our organisation.

Our hope is to see more men pursuing careers in childcare, and we are committed to supporting this by providing a positive and inclusive experience for our male colleagues.