AQW 12195/22-27

Ms Kate Nicholl
Alliance Party
South Belfast

Tabled Date: 20/05/2024
Answered On Date: 23/05/2024
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Education, pursuant to AQW 8579/22-27, to detail the engagement he has had with parents and carers to inform his view that time spent in pre-school education has the potential to contribute to parents’ childcare requirements.

Answer:

I have met with parents, providers and key stakeholders in the early learning and childcare sector to hear firsthand the issues and challenges they currently face. In course of this engagement, parents have raised the childcare benefits of 22.5 hours Pre-school provision over 12.5 hours.

The positive impact of a standardised session length for both parents and children was a feature of the engagement informing the relevant actions and recommendations set out in Learning to Learn, Fair Start, the New Decade New Approach (NDNA) commitment and the Independent Review of Education Report.

Parents take a wide range of issues into account when considering childcare arrangements and all funded provision has the potential to contribute to meeting their requirements. This includes attendance at funded educational provision such as school or pre-school.