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Please find below a comment from the Early Years Alliance in response to the Liberal Democrat proposal's for early education and childcare, following the publication of their election manifesto.

Commenting, Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, said:

"At the Alliance we have long called for an early years strategy which both recognises the vital need for every child to access high-quality early years while ensuring that the sector itself can sustainably deliver this. As such, it is positive to see that the Liberal Democrats manifesto includes several policies that look to address this, particularly the pledges to treble Early Years Pupil Premium, review funding rates and implement a career strategy for the workforce.  

"Ultimately, however the devil is in the detail. While we welcome the party's commitment to the sector and the big promises it has put forward today, so far, detail on how these would be implemented remains scant. 

"Let's not forget, the general election comes as a pivotal time for the sector as it grapples with the expanded early entitlement rollout against a backdrop of a staffing crisis and consistently low levels of underfunding. It is therefore crucial that whichever party forms the next government is not only willing to commit to addressing longstanding sector challenges on paper, but is also clear on how exactly they will do so in practice. "