This week is Childcare and Early Education Week (25-29 January 2021).
The aim of the week is to raise awareness of the early education sector amongst MPs, Peers, decision-makers and influencers – particularly with regard to private, voluntary and independent (PVI) providers, who make up the majority of the sector – and to build strong relationships between practitioners and their local MP.
It will also celebrate the hard work and dedication of early education professionals, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, where the sector has played an integral part in making up for learning time lost during 2020 and provided an essential service for our keyworkers by remaining open and allowing them to keep the country running.
Childcare and Early Education Week is run and organised by the .
The APPG exists to support and promote the the childcare and early education sector.
As this has been a particularly difficult year for practitioners the APPG wanted to create an opportunity to celebrate you and all of the great work that you do for children and families across the country.
How to support and get involved in Childcare and Early Education Week
1. Parent survey - The APPG has launched a survey of parents this week, to gain data and insights into parents’ perspectives on early education and to demonstrate to MPs the importance of the early years sector. Please share the survey with the parents and carers of the children you look after and if you are a parent of pre-schoolers yourself you can also fill out the survey yourself.
2. Social media - You can also support the campaign via social media. Tweet using the hashtags #ChildcareandEarlyEducationWeek and #CelebratingOurSector to promote what you are celebrating about the early education sector during Childcare and Early Education Week.
3. Write to your MP - We are encouraging early years practitioners across the sector to write to their local MP to invite them for a virtual meeting or visit (*as appropriate under local COVID-19 regulations), as part of the campaign.
This will provide an opportunity for you to brief them on the challenges your setting faces, and the policy changes needed to protect the sector at this critical time, so that they can articulate these in Parliament and to the Government.
You can get further support in writing to your MP, including a template letter, by downloading the Childcare and Early Education Week toolkit for practitioners.
The APPG is also distributing a separate briefing pack on the campaign to MPs directly, but we need you to demonstrate to them how and why this vital issue is affecting their constituents.
For more details about Childcare and Early Education Week and how you can support the campaign, please download the toolkit for practitioners.
Thank you for your support.
The APPG for Childcare and Early Education works with the childcare sector to support and promote non-maintained private, voluntary and independent (PVI) settings, in appreciation and acknowledgement of the value of highquality early education in helping every child to have the best possible start in life.
It was established in 2017 and is chaired by Steve Brine, MP for Winchester and Chandler’s Ford.
The APPG is sponsored by: CACHE, the Early Years Alliance, the Foundation Stage Forum, the National Day Nurseries Association and Tops Day Nurseries
