Education Minister - Early Learning and Childcare Strategy announcement
Education Minister announces £25million package of measures for early learning and childcare in Northern Ireland
Early Years welcome today’s announcement from the Minister of Education outlining new investment into Early Learning and Childcare.
The £25m of funding allocated will help stabilise, sustain and secure the sector and provide a platform to increase investment and deliver further impact over time.
Importantly the announcement also recognises the impact of increasing costs for parents/ guardians and providers. Measures to support both is very much welcomed.
We acknowledge that this is a first step. We are pleased that the Minister has indicated that further increased investment will be needed over time. Only through continued ring fenced investment by the Executive can we ensure that every child is afforded the same opportunities to develop and thrive.
Early Years will continue to advocate to with the Departments to ensure that the funding allocated at a National level is prioritised for children birth to 4 moving forward and the Executive continue to commit to their pledge to prioritise early learning and childcare in the future.