Meon Valley MP Flick Drummond and employment minister Jo Churchill have visited a Bramdean nursery to meet staff and talk about the early years sector.
Both met with Ali Pearce who runs Hummingbirds Nursery in Church Lane recently.
Flick supported the nursery’s move from Bramdean Village Hall to its new building in 2020.
The trio discussed the early years sector, funding rates, the expansion of the 30 hours a week childcare subsidy from nine months to four years old and pay and recruitment issues.
Ali also talked about the pressures of business rates and VAT on the nursery. Flick will take these up with the relevant treasury ministers.
“Thank you to Ali for inviting myself and the minister to have a look around this brilliant nursery and to discuss some of the issues the sector faces,” said Flick.
“The free hours for children from nine months until they go to school is most welcome and will help parents go back to work if they wish although as Ali pointed out it is for 38 weeks – roughly the academic year - not all year.
“These changes, though welcome, must work for the sector too and it was good to discuss with Ali and Nat some of those issues around the rate the government pays and how we must treat nursery staff as the professionals they are because of the skills and qualification they must have to look after children. It is an important job.
“What we heard will be fed back and I know the minister found the visit very helpful. It is important nursery owners and staff in the constituency are heard in Westminster.”
Ali said: “We were delighted to welcome Flick and Jo to Hummingbirds Nursery to showcase our beautiful setting and to share our passion for the early years. It is good to see that there is now increasing recognition in the importance of the early years sector which shapes the next generation of our society.
“We have been grateful to the Princess of Wales for shining a spotlight on the Early Years profession, which for far too long has been considered unskilled.
“Our team of highly qualified educators demonstrate, day in and day out, their resourcefulness, diplomacy, creativity, intuition, and compassion. This is the skill set of a highly prized professional and should be recognised as such both financially and with a progressive career pathway.
“It was good to be able to discuss our frustrations with Flick and Jo and we were pleased that they shared our thoughts and understood the challenges facing the industry.”
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