Readers will know how committed this Government is to the early years - giving every child, regardless of their family circumstances, the opportunity to thrive and flourish.
You will have seen at first hand the impact that high quality early education can have on children's life chances, but particularly for the most disadvantaged. It's just not good enough that children from poorer families are still much less likely to access quality early education and childcare than their wealthier peers - even though they stand to benefit the most.
Evidence shows that less than half of all children who live in the most deprived areas achieve a good level of development at age five, compared with nearly 70 per cent of those living in the least deprived areas. That is why we have protected funding for free early education for three- and four-year-olds and have secured additional funding to provide free early education for the most disadvantaged two-year-olds.
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