Supporting early years development with Early Years Practitioner, Jerome

In England, only 2% of people working in Early Years are male. We spoke to Jerome about his role at Spring and his importance in promoting early years development.

My Name is Jerome, I’m 31 years old, and originally from Paris in France. I moved to the UK in 2013, which is coming up to 12 years.

I work at one of Action for Children's Spring Nurseries as a Level 3 Early Years Practitioner. I am based in the 'Inventors' room, which is for children aged three- to five-years-old.

A typical day in my life is normally quite busy. I start it at home with my Partner, Lucie, and daughter, Cosima who is five years old. We get ready and I drop her off at breakfast club which she loves, and I then head to work which is only a two minute walk from my daughter's school.

When I get to work, I set up the room to ensure we provide the children lots of fun learning opportunities throughout the day. This could be water play, sand play, arts and crafts, outdoor, marking making – anything that sparks the children’s curiosity.

Throughout the day, I interact with the children, staff, and parents, as well as doing nappies and serving snack and meals.

There's so much more in between; my day is filled with countless meaningful moments that make the work so rewarding.

After work I collect my daughter and then it's home to cook our dinner. I'm quite a good cook so enjoy this. I help with my daughter's homework, bath and shower time, and then cuddles before bed.

My favourite thing about my job is watching how far the children have come from their first day to their last. Seeing what they have achieved and knowing they have the confidence to embark on their next adventure is priceless.

The most rewarding part of the job is the relationships that I build with the children. I'm so proud of them and what they achieve on a daily basis.

It’s so much more than just playing with the children. The first five years of child’s life is a crucial time - it helps to build strong brains for their future.

We help them to get ready for future life experiences. I am proud to call myself an Early Years Educator and you should be too.

My fun fact is that I can’t hear the difference in any English accent - you could be from Liverpool, London, or Newcastle and I wouldn’t have a clue.

Practitioners like Jerome play a vital role in shaping bright beginnings and futures for children, creating environments where their young minds can thrive. Early years development lays the foundation for a child’s life, providing essential skills, confidence, and curiosity in their most formative years.

If you're passionate about making a lasting difference in children’s lives, then we’d love to have you on our team.