Increase funding, ensure fair pay and prioritise early years education.

Early years education is the foundation of children’s development, yet the sector is collapsing due to chronic underfunding. Rising costs for wages, utilities, and resources far exceed inadequate funding increases. Staff are underpaid, burning out, and leaving, leading to shortages and closures. Without urgent action, families will lose childcare, and children will miss out on vital care and education. We need proper funding, fair pay, and recognition of early years as an essential public service.