£11.8m early years investment plan unveiled

Thursday 31 October 2024

An £11.8 million plan to expand nursery and childcare services over the next three years has been unveiled by the Education Minister.

Published by Deputy Rob Ward yesterday, the Early Years Plan aims to address rising demand for childcare places.

It also seeks to tackle workforce shortages and make childcare more accessible and affordable.

Pictured: The Education Minister's Early Years Plan aims to address rising demand for childcare places, tackle workforce shortages, and make childcare more accessible and affordable.

The initiative focuses on supporting children aged two to three, particularly those with additional needs, while also working towards what the report describes as "a universal offer” for the age group. 

It comes after Chief Minister Lyndon Farnham's government pledged in April to extend nursery provision and acknowledge the need to improve recruitment and training in the sector.

Funding for the initiative will be rolled out over three years.

The Budget, which will be debated next month, includes proposals for £1.5 million in funding for extended nursery provision in 2025, rising to £2.3m the following year and then to £3.4m and £4.6m for 2025 and 2026 respectively.

As part of its commitment to extended nursery and childcare provision, the Early Years Plan also outlines three pilot programmes that will launch this year across selected schools to test various approaches and collect evidence to inform future decision-making.  

Some school nurseries, for example, will extend their operating hours and offer childcare during school holidays to give families more flexibility to manage work and childcare.

Pictured: Some school nurseries will extend their operating hours and offer childcare during school holidays.

As part of the second pilot, school nurseries with available capacity will reserve dedicated places for two to three-year-olds to relieve pressure on private nurseries.

The third pilot will explore partnerships with private nurseries based on school grounds by allowing a non-Government nursery provider to establish a new nursery within a school's premises. This approach seeks to increase capacity while assessing the feasibility of public-private partnerships.

A another focus of the plan is addressing the shortage of qualified nursery staff.

It comes after industry group Jersey Early Years’ Association raised concerns that staff shortages were impacting parents' ability to return to work. 

In response, Skills Jersey is set to lead a recruitment drive late this year, which aims to attract new talent by improving pay, benefits, and establishing clear qualification pathways. 

The plan also outlines a review of compensation and professional development opportunities to ensure a stable and skilled workforce across the island.

The report also mentions that a focus has been placed on St Helier, where demand for childcare is highest due to the concentration of working families and large employers. 

Pictured: An initial review of Government-owned properties in St Helier found no suitable sites for new nursery settings.

The plan therefore identifies a need for “wrap-around care” that aligns with standard work hours in industries such as finance. 

While an initial review of Government-owned properties in St Helier found no suitable sites for new nursery settings, the report said that the Government will continue assessing other properties in areas adjacent to St Helier. 

The Early Years Plan builds on priorities set out in the Common Strategic Policy for 2024-2026 which highlighted the need for accessible childcare due to the rising cost of living. 

The policy said: “Children's needs and the demands placed on families have become increasingly complex in Jersey, exacerbated by the high cost-of-living and fewer nursery spaces being available."