Childcare Voices

Episode 3 of Nursery Workers Bite Back picks up the story of the Islington Nursery Strike. What did the nursery workers achieve after fifteen long weeks of strike action? How did the strike affect the parents, children and workers? Presented by an Islington playworker experiencing funding cuts today, this episode looks at what happened next, how childcare has changed since the 1980s and what lessons the strike holds that might help us face the challenges of the present.Discover the history of this important strike of nursery workers, told for the first time in this three-part podcast. Made by a group of present-day nursery workers, parents, carers and campaigners, the podcast explains how the nursery workers fought for better conditions for both workers and the children in their care.Written and produced by Kelly Allnutt, Kerry O’Connor and Lydia CSInterviews were with Julia Manning Morton, Karen Reeve, Terry Conway, Ivor Kallin, David Saltiel, Veronica Speirs and Karen Quinn.The poem 1984 was written and performed by Ivor Kallin.Sound design by Hannah Kemp - Welch.Nursery Workers Bite Back was made as part of ‘When the Nursery Workers Said No’, a project run by Rosa Schling, funded by Historic England.Thank you to all the strikers, all the group members and the Parent House for hosting us.Find out more at https://childcarehistory.org.uk/

Episode 2 of Nursery Workers Bite Back details the dramatic events that took place during the Islington Nursery Strike of 1984. Discover what happened when parents and toddlers took over Islington Town Hall, how the strikers made a splash at the opening of a swimming pool and how they connected with the miners strike. Presented by a nursery worker with recent experience of going on strike, episode 2 explores the tactics and strategy used by the nursery workers throughout the fifteen week strike.Discover the history of this important strike of nursery workers, told for the first time in this three-part podcast. Made by a group of present-day nursery workers, parents, carers and campaigners, the podcast explains how the nursery workers fought for better conditions for both workers and the children in their care.Written and produced by Jo Henley, Robyn Moffat and Albinia StanleyInterviews were with, Julia Manning Morton, Karen Reeve, Terry Conway, Ivor Kallin, David Saltiel, Veronica Speirs and Karen Quinn.The poem 1984 was written and performed by Ivor Kallin.Sound design by Hannah Kemp-Welch.Nursery Workers Bite Back was made as part of ‘When the Nursery Workers Said No’, a project run by Rosa Schling, funded by Historic England.Thank you to all the strikers, all the group members and the Parent House for hosting us.Find out more at https://childcarehistory.org.uk/

On Monday 16 April 1984 155 nursery workers employed by Islington Council began an indefinite strike. Their industrial action was sparked by understaffing in the nurseries, which meant there was often an unsafe ratio of children to staff. The strike lasted fifteen weeks, during which time all twelve council-run Children’s Day Centres were closed. The strikers returned to work on 30 July 1984, having won real improvements in the Children’s Day Centres.Discover this important history told here for the first time. Made by a group of present-day nursery workers, parents, carers and campaigners, these podcasts tell the story of how the nursery workers fought for better conditions for both themselves and the children in their care.Episode 1 sets the scene for the nursery worker strike, explaining what life in the nurseries was like in the early 1980s and how the nursery workers took the decision to go on strike.Written and produced by Karen Fischer, Jo Harrison and Angela Mascolo.Interviews were with, Julia Manning Morton, Karen Reeve, Terry Conway, Ivor Kallin, David Saltiel, Veronica Speirs and Karen Quinn.The poem 1984 was written and performed by Ivor Kallin.Sound design by Hannah Kemp - Welch.Nursery Workers Bite Back was made as part of ‘When the Nursery Workers Said No’, a project run by Rosa Schling for On the Record, funded by Historic England.Thank you to all the strikers, all the group members and the Parent House for hosting us.Find out more at https://childcarehistory.org.uk/

Childcare Voices is back with a second series out on 16 April! Nursery Workers Bite Back tells the story of the Islington Nursery Strike (1984).Made by a group of childcare workers, parents, carers and activists, discover the history of this important but little known strike of nursery workers who fought for better conditions for both workers and the children in their care.

In episode 7 of Childcare Voices, Aga asks 'Who Cares for the Youths?' and looks at what kind of 'childcare' is needed when children are older. Aga is mum to two active teenage boys, who love trips and baking, but she says it is hard to find creative activities for them to do, especially during the school holidays.Aga finds that youth services have suffered devastating cuts in the last decade. She wishes young people could have opportunities to go away on trips, gain new experiences and play together. She looks to the past to see how people organised on a grassroots level to provide opportunities for their children and young people, and talks about community organising in the London borough of Hackney today.Aga is part of Red Roots Incubator, a community interest company - https://www.redrootsincubator.org/ Follow them on Instagram @redrootsincubator and X @RRIncubatorThis episode contains:* Interview with Kevin Jenkins, recorded by Rosa Schling for Holding the Baby, an On the Record project* Interview with Empress and Kwame, recorded by Agnieszka RolkiewiczCREDITS:Episode produced by Agnieszka RolkiewiczEpisode image by John BlowerArtwork by Eva FreemanSound design by Hannah Kemp WelchThis podcast is part of the Grow Your Own oral history project, run by On the Record and funded by Trust for London. Find out more at https://on-the-record.org.uk/projects/grow-your-own/ or follow us on twitter @growyourown_ohp and instagram @on_the_record_stories

In this episode, Mona Adam wants to know more about what it is like to work in nurseries. As a councillor in the London borough of Kensington and Chelsea she has visited nurseries and enjoyed spending time with the staff and children there. While the nurseries seemed like happy places, she wonders if there are hidden challenges she is unaware of in this demanding, but essential, job?Mona investigates the situation for childcare workers both today and in the past, discovering that childcare is underfunded and suffering from a shortage of trained staff. Despite the government's plans to extend the existing childcare subsidy, does the existing system have the capacity to deal with such an expansion?This episode contains:* Interview with Jenny Williams, recorded by Rosa Schling for Grow Your Own, an On the Record project* Interview with Helen Penn, recorded by Rosa Schling for Grow Your Own, an On the Record projectCREDITS:Episode produced by Mona AdamArtwork by Eva FreemanSound design by Hannah Kemp WelchThis podcast is part of the Grow Your Own oral history project, run by On the Record and funded by Trust for London.Find out more at https://on-the-record.org.uk/projects/grow-your-own/ or follow us on twitter @growyourown_ohp and instagram @on_the_record_stories

In this episode, Imran Bukenya, stay-at-home dad and community organiser with Together in Unity, talks about what it means to have ‘no recourse to public funds’ and need childcare. Imran asks if previous generations of migrants to the UK faced the same challenges?He investigates the archives to find out how people campaigned to create childcare accessible to all in the past, and calls on the government to include all families in the childcare support currently available.You can sign a petition calling for all parents to have access to childcare here: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/let-all-parents-access-free-childcare?utm_medium=social+utm_source=twitter This episode contains:* Interview with Shirley Peters, recorded by Rosa Schling for Holding the Baby, an On the Record project* Interview with Jenny Williams, recorded by Rosa Schling for Grow Your Own, an On the Record projectImage of First Neighbourhood Co-operative Nursery, courtesy of Norma Dudley, Doing it Ourselves archive / Bishopsgate Institute.CREDITS:Episode produced by Imran BukenyaArtwork by Eva FreemanSound design by Hannah Kemp WelchThis podcast is part of the Grow Your Own oral history project, run by On the Record and funded by Trust for London.Find out more at https://on-the-record.org.uk/projects/grow-your-own/ or follow us on twitter @growyourown_ohp and instagram @on_the_record_stories

In this episode, Adeola Osunbade looks at the isolation faced by families with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Adeola is a mum to three including a young person with special abilities and runs a hub in Newham, East London, called 'Space for Me' for families, children and young people with special needs and disabilities.Lack of suitable childcare meant Adeola had to change her career, and she knows she is not alone in this. There is not enough high-quality, accessible childcare for children with SEND, who are often turned away from mainstream childcare options. She investigates what isolation means for families like hers, and how families have tried to tackle these issues in the past.Follow Space4Me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/space4me_uk/ and The 5es on twitter / X https://twitter.com/the5es4 or facebook https://www.facebook.com/The5es4/Find out more about Ambition Achieve Aspire whose founder, Kevin Jenkins, is featured in this episode: https://www.theaaazone.com/This episode contains:* Interview with Judith Marchant recorded by Rosa Schling for Holding the Baby, an On the Record project.* Interview with Kevin Jenkins recorded by Rosa Schling for Holding the Baby, an On the Record project.* Interview with members of Newham Parent's Forum, recorded by Adeola OsunbadeCREDITS:Episode produced by Adeola OsunbadeArtwork by Eva FreemanSound design by Hannah Kemp WelchThis podcast is part of the Grow Your Own oral history project, run by On the Record and funded by Trust for London.Find out more at https://on-the-record.org.uk/projects/grow-your-own/ or follow us on twitter @growyourown_ohp and instagram @on_the_record_stories