Home News NDNA manifesto: get it right for early years

NDNA manifesto: get it right for early years

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At a critical time for the early years and childcare sector, National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) launches its manifesto urging the next government to get it right for children’s early years.

NDNA, as the strongest voice of the nursery sector, publishes its manifesto: Get it right for early years. Ahead of the launch of the political parties’ manifestos, it urges them to ensure childcare policies work for children, families and providers.

It calls for:

  • The right funding for childcare places
  • Zero business rates for nurseries in England
  • A single childcare account for parents.

Purnima Tanuku, Chief Executive of NDNA, said: “It’s time that the next government puts children’s futures at the heart of its political agenda and invests properly in their early years.

“This is the crucial time in a child’s life which sets them on the right path and what they will go on to achieve. Every pound invested in early years pays dividends throughout their lifelong educational journey. This is especially true of children with special educational needs for whom the right support, at the right time, is critical.

“It’s a very simple message we are putting across to parliamentary candidates and voters: families and children need affordable, accessible childcare and early education. High quality early education reduces the attainment gap and improves social mobility across the board. It also supports parents into employment, boosting the economy.

“But successive governments have promised ‘free’ childcare hours to parents without providing the resources to deliver on that promise. Underfunding means the current universal 15 funded hours and 30 hours for children of working parents are not free to either parents or providers.

“We need the politicians to step back from an arms race of under-resourced promises towards fully costed policies that can be delivered. Nursery businesses must be able to invest in staff training and resources to maintain high quality provision.

“Our asks are simple: childcare places should be properly funded, nurseries shouldn’t pay unfair business rates and the whole system needs to be simpler for parents and providers. Parents and nurseries find the whole application process for the different sources of childcare support bewildering and time consuming. It must be simplified, with all funding in one place so that parents can pay their childcare provider directly.”

Read our manifesto, facts and figures and template letters to send to parliamentary candidates and parents here.

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