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22/11/2011
Call To Implement Promised Child Care
The Stormont Executive should prioritise progress on the childcare strategy promised in its recently published Draft Programme for Government.
NICMA - the Childminding Association has urged the Northern Ireland Executive to move ahead with its promise made in the Executive's Budget 2011-15 to invest £3m annually on childcare for the next four years.
Bridget Nodder, NICMA's Director, said her charity welcomed these commitments but was concerned at the slow rate of progress on developing a childcare strategy and making investment decisions.
"We are delighted that the Draft Programme for Government recognises the importance of childcare provision in meeting the Executive's economic objectives," she said.
"However, we would like to see early progress on developing a childcare strategy which was originally promised some time ago.
"We're also concerned that the Executive has yet to determine how it is going to spend the £3m it allocated for childcare during this current financial year," she said.
Recently, the NI Health Minister, Edwin Poots, commended NICMA's own proposals for improving childminding provision when he spoke at the launch of the charity's policy document, The Way Forward for Childminding.
However, no decision has yet been taken on how the promised childcare funding should be invested, nor has the Executive yet produced a draft strategy.
NICMA believes that any childcare strategy must address the specific issues within the childminding sector, including delays experienced by new childminders in getting registered, the need for improved access to training, and the prevalence of illegal, unregistered childminders.
(BMcC/GK)
NICMA - the Childminding Association has urged the Northern Ireland Executive to move ahead with its promise made in the Executive's Budget 2011-15 to invest £3m annually on childcare for the next four years.
Bridget Nodder, NICMA's Director, said her charity welcomed these commitments but was concerned at the slow rate of progress on developing a childcare strategy and making investment decisions.
"We are delighted that the Draft Programme for Government recognises the importance of childcare provision in meeting the Executive's economic objectives," she said.
"However, we would like to see early progress on developing a childcare strategy which was originally promised some time ago.
"We're also concerned that the Executive has yet to determine how it is going to spend the £3m it allocated for childcare during this current financial year," she said.
Recently, the NI Health Minister, Edwin Poots, commended NICMA's own proposals for improving childminding provision when he spoke at the launch of the charity's policy document, The Way Forward for Childminding.
However, no decision has yet been taken on how the promised childcare funding should be invested, nor has the Executive yet produced a draft strategy.
NICMA believes that any childcare strategy must address the specific issues within the childminding sector, including delays experienced by new childminders in getting registered, the need for improved access to training, and the prevalence of illegal, unregistered childminders.
(BMcC/GK)
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