Member's statement: Early Years Education: Standardisation

Member's statement by Mrs Cathy Mason on 10 March 2025.

MLA

Mrs Cathy Mason

Party at the time

Sinn Féin

Date

10 March 2025

Type

Member's statement

Business

Members' Statements

Heading

Early Years Education: Standardisation

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4840850

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I associate myself with Matthew O'Toole's remarks about Eamonn. I am a blow-in to Loughinisland — I have lived there for 12 years — from a neighbouring village. The villages are harsh rivals on the football pitch, but Eamonn was always so welcoming to me. I had many chats with him about history. I offer my condolences to Matthew and the whole O'Toole family.

The early years of a child's life are the foundation on which their future is built. Those formative years are the bedrock of a child's cognitive, social and emotional development, shaping their ability to learn, grow and thrive throughout life. Quality early childhood education is not just beneficial but essential to their future and the future of our society. Across the North, the non-statutory community and voluntary childcare sector plays a critical role in delivering that care, ensuring that our children have the best possible start. Despite their dedication, however, those providers face mounting challenges that threaten their ability to continue that vital work. I have spoken to early years practitioners who are deeply concerned about the future of preschool education. The implementation of standardisation, whilst obviously well intended, has placed many preschools, statutory and non-statutory, in an impossible position. Some are being allocated standardised places far below their actual capacity, forcing them to make heartbreaking decisions about which children receive the support and which do not. No provider should have to choose between children who are in need. Instead of focusing on providing the best care and education, non-statutory preschools are being pushed into financial insecurity, with the burden of rising costs falling on parents and providers alike. Meanwhile, unfair funding allocations, excessive inspections compared with those in the statutory sector and severe staffing shortages are compounding the crisis. The recruitment and retention of qualified professionals have become major obstacles, threatening the sustainability of the sector. Those issues demand urgent action from the Minister of Education. If we are serious about delivering high-quality and affordable early years and childcare, we must commit to fairness, proper funding and genuine support for those who care for our young people. Standardisation should be about ensuring quality and access, not creating unnecessary barriers for families and providers. I urge the Minister to acknowledge those acute challenges and take meaningful steps to protect and strengthen the non-statutory early years sector. We must ensure that every child, regardless of their circumstances, has access to the care and education that they deserve. The future of our children depends on it.

418 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:02 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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