Fostering leaders in the Early Years: The urgent need for problem-focused leadership development through a social leadership lens

Polly Crowther, Co-Founder, Early Insights; Evidence Leader in Education, East London Research School, UK Mona Sakr, Senior Lecturer, Early Childhood, Middlesex University, UK Financially precarious, under-valued and staffed by a workforce in crisis, the Early Years sector in the UK is fraught with complex challenges. It faces the intense post-pandemic needs of children and families and new statutory frameworks. International research shows that high-quality leadership can enable Early Years settings to meet these challenges (Douglass, 2019). In the UK, though, there is a severe lack of professional development in the sector. Workforce surveys show remarkably few leadership development opportunities (Ceeda, 2019). Those leading day to day are often accidental or reluctant leaders, without a clear vision of their leadership identities and practice (Coleman et al., 2016). School leaders may oversee hundreds of Early Years children without experience or expertise in the phase. What can