Meeting of the All Party Group on Early Education and Childcare
The All Party Group on Early Education and Childcare held its first meeting of the year on 2 February in the Senate Chamber, Parliament Buildings.
As the APG Chair, Cathy Mason MLA was called to the floor of the Assembly, the acting Chair Sinead Sinead McLaughlin MLA welcomed the Education Minister Paul Givan MLA to the meeting, highlighting the work of his Department and the wider sector in progressing the draft Executive Early Learning and Childcare Strategy. She acknowledged the hard work of the All Party Group in campaigning for a Strategy over the last 6 years and reminded the room of the critical opportunity to shape early learning and childcare for generations to come.
The Minister thanked the APG for inviting him, noting the rarity of him being able to attend All Party Groups given the pressures on his diary. The Minister outlined how addressing early education and childcare concerns has been a priority issue for him since assuming office - highlighting the wider socio-economic benefits that can come from tackling these issues.
The Minister highlighted the three themes of the draft Strategy;
- Supporting children in their early years
- Supporting families with their children’s learning and childcare costs
- Supporting the early years sector and workforce
Significant funding has been provided to action some of the draft Strategy’s commitments already, including increased funding for the NI Childcare Subsidy Scheme and the roll out of standardisation. Implementing Category Two actions in the draft strategy (2026 - 2030 commitments) has been costed at circa £500 million.
Longer term the Minister wants to deliver a range of ambitious actions including subsidising childcare costs by 50% and increasing long-term support for childcare staff to address recruitment and retention concerns. This includes providing real living wage and promoting a more diverse workforce.
However, full implementation of the Strategy will depend on the level of resources allocated. The Department has proposed that initiatives can be scaled up or down depending on resources. The Minister encouraged everyone to engage with the consultation by 24th March. He concluded by saying that he is committed to making sustained progress for early learning and childcare - there will be difficult choices ahead but we have a clear opportunity to enhance the sector.
A Q&A session followed the Minister’s comments with a range of issues raised and noted.
The next All Party Group meeting will take place on Thursday 16 April.
