Dr Helen Simmons

Dr Helen Simmons is a Senior Lecturer in Education (Childhood, Youth and Families) at the University of Northampton with almost twenty years of experience in further and higher education. Prior to this, Helen worked in early childhood settings and as a private nanny with very young children.

Helen’s teaching, research, and publications relate to the discipline of Early Childhood Studies, focussing on support for children, families and the early childhood workforce. Helen’s most recent publication, a monograph, based on her doctoral thesis, is titled ‘Surveillance of Modern Motherhood: Experiences of Universal Parenting Courses’ and was published with Palgrave MacMillan in 2020.

Helen is Vice Chair (Policy, Lobbying and Advocacy: National and International) of the Early Childhood Studies Degrees Network (ECSDN), an External Examiner for Early Childhood Studies Degrees at Liverpool John Moores University, and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Helen is Co-Lead for the 'Families and Communities' Special Interest Group within the Centre for Education and Research. Her research and publications centre on the sociology of childhood, the social and cultural pressures in modern motherhood, and support for a critically reflective early childhood workforce.