Men in Early Childhood Education: My Interview With Daycare Owner David Wright by Mike Prochaska

David Wright, who lives in England's Southampton, runs a daycare with his wife. Wright also has a book coming out later this year provisionally titled, “Men in the Early Years.” He took a few minutes to answer some questions about working in Early Childhood Education (ECE). 

Q. How did you get into this field?

“Like many men working in ECE, who I have spoken to, I was given the opportunity to experience the joy and privilege of sharing life with young children through a relative, in my case, my wife, who started a preschool in our home. I left a career in IT to join her in what has become our family business across 10 centers, caring for nearly 1,000 children each week.”

Q. What do you see as the advantages of having a male teacher?

“My motto is 'boys and girls need men and women.' I believe children need to experience a balance of interactions across the widest spectrum of characteristics representing their communities.”

Q. What's your favorite memory working with kids?

“The never-ending delight, fun, unpredictability and entertainment of getting to know each unique individual child.”

Q. Do you have any websites or blog you would like to share with us?

"Our local support network for men working in ECE is called SAMEY – Southampton Area Men in Early Years. I am a member of the World Forum working group on men in ECE. This is a video on my experiences at the last World Forum in New Zealand."

This video is longer than 30 seconds, but we think it's worth it.