AQW 28487/22-27

Mr Nick Mathison
Alliance Party
Strangford

Tabled Date: 10/06/2025
Answered On Date: 23/06/2025
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Education to outline the action he has taken to stabilise and support the community and voluntary childcare sector.

Answer:

In 2024/25 I invested almost £10m of the £25m budget for early learning and childcare provision in stabilising and enhancing early years programmes, including those delivered by the community and voluntary sector. These programmes included Sure Start, the Pathway Fund and Toybox Fund.

I commenced a major expansion of pre-school education which included additional funding for non-statutory pre-school providers participating in the PSEP, providing a one-off non-consolidated payment of £100 per pupil to all non-statutory settings and increasing the funding rate for these providers. This has now been increased for the 2025-26 academic year.

I also provided funding to the Department of Health to support the community and voluntary sector through enhanced training opportunities and expansion of the Fair Play Grant Scheme, as well as continuing to fund social economy providers who were delivering the Bright Start School Age Childcare Grant Scheme.

Additional investment in these early years programmes will continue in 2025-26 through the £55m ringfenced budget for early learning and childcare provision.