22/07/2025
In the critical early years of life when a child’s brain is rapidly developing and their emotional foundation is being built, what they need most is pretty simple = consistent, loving & responsive care.
But for many children in modern childcare settings, this need is not being met. Instead, they are placed in environments with staggeringly high child to caregiver ratios, such as 1 adult for every 8 young children. And while this may be accepted as “standard practice” the truth is far more troubling = we are normalising neglect.
Neglect isn’t always obvious. It isn’t always bruises, broken bones or screaming. Often it looks like silence. Or like a baby left crying in a swing for 20 minutes while the caregiver comforts someone else. Like a toddler who wants to show their drawing but is met with distracted glances. Like a child trying to use the toilet alone because no adult is available.
Neglect is the “chronic failure to meet a child’s basic physical and emotional needs”. That includes being soothed when distressed, seen when excited, supported when confused and safe when overwhelmed. When one adult with no personal or genetic bond is tasked with caring for eight or more small children, we can’t expect the level of attuned, individualised care that young children truly need. It’s simply beyond what one person can give.
Despite what we now know from decades of research, society continues to overlook a fundamental truth that young children need strong, consistent emotional connections to feel safe and secure. They aren’t born knowing how to regulate their emotions but learn through co-regulation with primary caregivers. The quality of these early relationships and interactions don’t just influence behaviour but shape the very structure of the developing brain.
So if you think about it…
When one caregiver is trying to manage snack time, change nappies, keep everyone safe, solve conflicts and respond to emotional outbursts… all for eight kids at once, who’s actually able to notice the child quietly crying in the corner?
Who’s tuning into the one who hasn’t said a word all morning?
Who is helping a child understand their big emotions rather than punishing or ignoring them for acting out?
The truth?
No one can. It’s not a matter of effort or care. It’s just too much for one person.
This isn’t a criticism of early childhood educators themselves. In fact most are deeply committed and underpaid professionals doing the best they can in impossible conditions. The problem is the system designed to maximise numbers over needs.
We wouldn’t accept one nurse caring for eight patients in intensive care. We wouldn’t expect one therapist to run eight one on one sessions simultaneously. So why do we treat the emotional care of our youngest and most vulnerable as any less important?
Neglect doesn’t always look like abuse. Sometimes, it looks like busy schedules, overworked staff and full classrooms. But for the child who needed a hug and didn’t get one, the damage can be just as deep.
We cannot afford to keep pretending that current ratios are “good enough.” Children deserve better. And so do the educators trying their best to show up for them in a system that keeps letting them all down.
