This special issue arose from critical dialogue about injustice in the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector in England between diverse people engaged in practice, research and advocacy. Each post makes visible the hidden injustices within the ECEC system and offers ideas for reform or action. In December 2023, the University of East London hosted the symposium Educating for Activism, which aimed to connect practitioners, campaigners and academics through knowledge exchange about structural injustice and activism in the ECEC sector in England. A collectively authored reflection on the symposium, published as a BERA Blog post, advocated for a just approach to knowledge exchange in the ECEC sector. As an action following the symposium, the contributors initiated a democratic dialogue connecting people and organisations on the margins of recent ECEC policy debates about government policy in England to expand childcare to working parents.

In January 2025, a special issue of the BERA Blog focused on the action government needs to take to address inequality for children and families in the early years. Our special issue complements this earlier work by bringing to the foreground multiple experiences of injustice, and brings together ideas for reform from practitioners and campaigners working on the margins of the ECEC sector.

The contributions to this issue explore: 

• reforms to employment rights and legal protections for migrant workers in the ECEC sector
• the challenges experienced by community-led and not-for-profit nurseries as they witness depleting numbers in the ECEC sector despite their vital role in supporting the local community
• how membership organisations such as the Early Years Alliance have a key role in connecting and representing marginalised voices in the sector
• challenges of recruitment and retention in the ECEC sector in England
• contemporary practice through a vignette to illustrate the multifaceted role of ECEC practitioners and day nurseries, underpinned by an ethic of care that encompasses the child and the child’s family
• how small independent nurseries are marginalised in the implementation of government plans to expand publicly funded childcare to babies by locating provision in primary schools
• past activism by nursery workers in Islington, London, to examine the impact of strike action which resulted in improved conditions for nursery workers, children and their families.