Lessons learnt:Responses to Covid-19 from the Early Years Sector in Wales from 2020 to 2023

The purpose of this study was to understand how early childhood education and care (ECEC) practitioners in Wales view the impact of the COVID-19pandemic on their sector; how these perceptions have changed over time; and what we can learn from these experiences to support future crisis recovery, and effective and context-responsive practice in ECEC settings.A three-phase research process was employed, consisting of two online surveys (November–December 2020, n = 379; February–March 2023n = 352) and online focus groups (May 2023, n = 12). Overall, practitioners in2023 perceived the impact of the pandemic as worse than those who completed the survey during the peak of the pandemic in 2020. This was explained by the negative impact on cohesive support services in the aftermath of the pandemic. Over one-third of the participants in both surveys said that their setting had struggled to remain viable, while focus group participants spoke about the ‘forgotten sector’ and felt undervalued in their roles. Practitioners discussed changes that had remained in place that were adapted as a result of COVID-19, which were seen as both opportunities and challenges emerging from the pandemic experience. These mostly centered around adapting the setting to the increased level of need that children in the setting were showing. The paper concludes by providing recommendations for policy and practice and emphasises the need to utilise the COVID-19 pandemic as a learning opportunity for reflection and innovation in ECEC policy and practice both in Wales and globally.