In a letter to whichever political party leader wins the General Election in less than a week’s time, Early Education urges the next Prime Minister to urgently prioritise the needs of the youngest children.
It also recommends rescue and reform and a holistic review of early childhood education and care in England to make it ‘fit for purpose’ and responsive to the needs of children in the 21st century.
The letter, which has been signed by the charity’s president Professor Dame Cathy Nutbrown, goes on to suggest that as the new PM forms their government, urgent consideration be given to the following:
- Incorporating the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in UK law.
- Putting in place a strategy to end child poverty with related hunger, homelessness and ill-health.
- Developing a long-term strategy for early childhood education and care which prioritises high-quality play and play pedagogy in policy and practice, commits to upskilling the early years workforce, establishes pay and conditions which promote retention and reviews the inspection.
- Develop a cross-government strategy to join up all aspects of policy that impact young children and their families, led by a member of cabinet.
'We want government to ensure early childhood education is inclusive and fit for the 21st century, with a workforce who are valued'.
Early Education ‘s chief executive Beatrice Merrick said, ‘Our message to the next Prime Minister is that there needs to be focus on the quality of early childhood education, not just on extending the number of children eligible for funded entitlements.
‘We want government to ensure early childhood education is inclusive and fit for the 21st century, with a workforce who are valued, supported by a workforce plan to raise qualification levels, with pay and conditions to match. However, education is not a panacea – government must address poverty, hunger and homelessness and put children’s rights to a safe and happy childhood first and foremost, with a joined-up approach across government. Only within that framework will children flourish.’
