AQW 12975/22-27

Mr Nick Mathison
Alliance Party
Strangford

Tabled Date: 05/06/2024
Answered On Date: 12/06/2024
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Education whether a targeted developmental programme for all two year olds at risk of poor educational outcomes, as recommended in A Fair Start report, will be included as part of his recent announcement on early years and childcare investment.

Answer:

As I said in my recent statement, limited budget and sector capacity mean that it is not possible to address everything in the first year. A targeted developmental programme for all two-year-olds at risk of poor educational outcomes remains a priority but is not included within the package I recently announced. However, the additional funding which will be made available for Sure Start in the current year will enable us to learn from its successful Developmental Programme for 2-3 Year Olds and inform future plans.