Nurseries and childminders invited to picnic on day of action against Truss reforms

Earlier this month, June O’Sullivan, chief executive of the London Early Years Foundation, came up with the idea of making International Children’s Day the sector’s day to take over the early years debate in protest over the Government’s planned reforms for nurseries and childminders. She said that the minister for education and childcare’s ‘ill-informed and contradictory facts’ begged the sector to tell its story.

All of LEYF’S 23 nurseries are hosting individual picnics on 1 June, open to parents, children, staff and local childminders to 'celebrate and highlight the sector's worth'.

The social enterprise has produced a downloadable Summer Picnic event resource pack to help other providers to organise their own picnics or similar events.

Ms O’Sullivan said, ‘Early years staff are unwilling to remain downtrodden and ignored when we contribute significantly to supporting the national economy and to the well-being of children. We need to highlight these issues and make our voices heard.’

The Old Station Nursery Group is holding a number of drop-in picnics at five of its settings in Filkins, Faringdon and Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire, Newark, and Innsworth, Gloucestershire, on Friday (31 May), the day before International Children’s Day.