How to become an early education and childcare practitioner
Official title: Early education and childcare practitioners
Also called: Practitioner, Early years educator, Nursery practitioner, Childcare practitioner, Child care practitioner, Pre-school practitioner, Early years practitioner, Nursery education officer, Nursery nurse practitioner, Nursery school practitioner, Nursery officer, Child development officer
Early education and childcare practitioners lead the learning and development of and care for children from birth up to five years of age in a school, nursery, or childcare environment.
Main tasks
- Plans children’s day and activities and leads on social, language and numerical development
- Coordinates observation and assessment on children’s play, development and learning
- Identifies and responds to health and safety issues
- Leads on preparing children for transitions to different settings, including school.
- Communicates with parents, colleagues and external professionals on children’s development and health and well-being
- Supervises and supports other early education and childcare workers
- Coordinates nurturing care in bathing, dressing, preparation of feeds, feeding babies, and in changing babies and toddlers clothing whenever necessary
- Provides a secure and supportive environment and supervises young children at mealtimes
How to become one
Qualified practitioners need to have achieved an early years degree qualification, such as Early Years Professional, Early Years Teacher, Early Childhood Studies Degree, Early Childhood Graduate Practitioner Competencies. A DBS check is mandatory.
Ways in
- Apprenticeship (England): Early years educator (level 3). England. Typically 18 months. Skills England standard ST0135.
- Apprenticeship (England): Early years practitioner (level 2). England. Typically 12 months. Skills England standard ST0888.
Pay · Outlook
- Median full-time pay: £23,717 a year The middle half earn £20,610 to £26,521.
- About 72,600 people work in this job now, and about 79,900 are projected by 2035. (+10%)
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Questions people ask
How do I become an early education and childcare practitioner?
Qualified practitioners need to have achieved an early years degree qualification, such as Early Years Professional, Early Years Teacher, Early Childhood Studies Degree, Early Childhood Graduate Practitioner Competencies. A DBS check is mandatory.
How much does an early education and childcare practitioner earn in the UK?
Median full-time pay is £23,717 a year (Office for National Statistics). The middle half earn £20,610 to £26,521.
Is an early education and childcare practitioner a growing career in the UK?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 10% by 2035, from about 72,600 to about 79,900 people (Department for Education).
Do you need a degree to become an early education and childcare practitioner?
Not always. 25% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Early years educator (level 3).
Sources
- Office for National Statistics: Annual Population Survey: employment by occupation (April 2025 to March 2026), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Office for National Statistics: SOC 2020 Volume 1: structure and descriptions (2026-08-27 edition), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Department for Education: Skills Imperative 2035: employment projections by occupation (2021 to 2035 (Warwick IER / Cambridge Econometrics)), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Office for National Statistics: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14 (2025 provisional), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
Updated 2026-10-03