The National Day Nurseries Association’s (NDNA) manifesto urges whichever party wins the general election next month to launch a commission to ensure early education policy is ‘child- centric’, driven by evidence and is valued to the same level as mainstream education.
It outlines what it calls the ‘unique challenges’ facing early education and care providers as they prepare to deliver the second phase of the extended funded offer – 15 hours for nine month olds – from September.
‘The First Five Years Count: A manifesto for early education and care’ urges the next government to:
- Create a comprehensive national dataset, encompassing education, health and social care, for all children. It says this will enable early years professionals to be more involved in identifying and referring children with additional needs to services that can offer support.
- Consult on any plans to use under-utilised school premises to support the delivery of early education and care places – a Labour party pledge. It says these school-based nurseries must be age appropriate and the plans must be carried out in consultation with established settings and the local community to meet families’ needs.
- Ensure the funding system works for all children, families and providers.
- Conduct annual reviews of the cost of delivering high-quality early education and care.
- Remove business rates and VAT for all settings.
- Create a system that values and invests in the early years workforce.
'It's vital the new Government support the work early educatio providers do'.
Purnima Tanuku, chief executive of NDNA, said, ‘It’s vital that not only the new government, but all those who are elected into Parliament, understand the significance of child development and support the amazing work that early education and care providers do every day.
‘Our manifesto makes it clear that the challenges the sector faces are significant, including the workforce crisis and a funding rate that doesn’t cover the costs for the vast majority of providers’
