Alliance calls for children to be put at the heart of the policy agenda, as early years practitioners gather for major national conference
NEWS RELEASE
26 June 2006
Alliance calls for children to be put at the heart of the policy agenda, as early years practitioners gather for major national conference
Steve Alexander, Chief Executive of the Pre-school Learning Alliance will today call for children to be put at the heart of the policy agenda. Mr Alexander will speak in front of an audience of 700 pre-school staff and volunteers at the Alliance’s annual conference entitled What about me? Putting Children at the heart of early years policy and practice.
Other speakers at the conference, which is part of National Sure Start Month, include the Rt. Hon Alan Johnson MP, Secretary of State for Education and Skills by video; Ruth Pimental, Director of the Foundation Stage, Primary National Strategy Team; Keith Brumfit, Director of Research and Development, Children’s Workforce Development Council and Judith Thompson, Chair of the Pre-school Learning Alliance.
Mr Alexander will set out the Alliance’s long held desire to ensure that decision makers continue to place a focus on children and parents. He made the following points to the assembled audience:
- He warned against the movement towards full day care, at the expense of sessional based alternatives and argued that parents, as the prime educators of children, should be given a real choice.
- He suggested that there should be more definition and integration in commissioning of early years services and called for the commissioning process to be streamlined and made more efficient.
- He cautioned that vulnerable families may be left behind unless the government also focuses the funding it currently gives to children’s centres and extended schools for childcare across the board.
Steve Alexander also announced that the Alliance was working with the DfES to produce joint guidance for all Local Authorities on how to engage parents and children.
Steve Alexander, Chief Executive of the Pre-school Learning Alliance, said:
“The Alliance believes passionately in involving children and parents in shaping the services they receive from us. The question we need to ask is whether this vitally important cornerstone of good practice and policy has been in evidence in the rapidly changing early years sector. All governments face a real challenge in ensuring that children’s needs are continually reflected in policy making and practice”.
Mr Alexander went on to say:
“Only by maintaining and strengthening the vibrant mix of provision, upon which the recent expansion of childcare is founded, can we hope to offer parents the choice and flexibility they want and need and ensure that the child is at the heart of all we do”.
ENDS
For further information please contact:
Ben Miskell
Pre-school Learning Alliance
T: 020 7697 2508
Out of hours press calls: 07802 827 678
E: Ben Miskell
Notes for Editors:
- The Pre-school Learning Alliance links 15,000 pre-schools and 800,000 young children and their families in England. Established in 1961 and registered as an educational charity, the Alliance is involved in more Sure Start projects than any other organisation and operates a number of Neighbourhood Nurseries. For information about the Pre-school Learning Alliance, visit our website: www.pre-school.org.uk
- For further information about the conference, or to request a copy of photographs of the event, please contact Ben Miskell at the Pre-school Learning Alliance Press Office on 0207 697 2508 (07802 827 678 out of hours)