How you’re giving children in England a better start in life
Every child deserves the chance to fulfil their potential. But in England right now, many children aren’t getting the support they need in the early years of their life.
Children are starting school unable to speak in full sentences, express themselves fully or understand simple instructions.
It’s been shown that high quality childcare, delivered by caring and skilled staff, has the biggest impact on this, particularly for the poorest children.
That means that alongside better support for parents, the government must invest in world-class nurseries.
With your help, we’re working hard to make this happen. Here are four big wins we’ve achieved so far.
1. Hitting the headlines
In March, we made front page news with a new report. It explained the vital brain development that happens in a child’s first five years, and why children need the best support during this time.
2. Important MP meetings
Supporters across England have met with their MP to highlight the importance of giving more support to nurseries, so they can improve the help they give to children. The response has been great so far, with more MPs than ever showing their support in Parliament!
3. Petitioning the Prime Minister
A petition by Dr Elizabeth Kilbey, who appeared on Channel 4’s The Secret Lives of Four-Year-Olds, calling for better nurseries for all children, has gained almost 18,000 signatures.
4. Giving evidence to government
Two parliamentary select committees have asked us to give evidence to an inquiry into early years education and the government’s life chances strategy. This is a key chance to emphasise how learning at a young age can shape a child’s future.
Why is early education so important?
The brains of three-to-five-year-olds are wired for learning. During this time they make leaps in their development that won’t happen so easily once they’re older.
This makes the early stages of a child’s learning the most critical.
If a child gets good support in their early years, it can mean the difference between them doing well at school, or struggling for the rest of their life.
That’s why we need the government to prioritise quality education and care in nurseries for our youngest children.
But they’ll only do this if we show our MPs that people across the UK care about children’s early years education.
Email your MP now to ask them to support the campaign.
If you’ve already emailed your MP, there are lots more ways you can get involved. Contact Rebecca to find out more on: r.falcon@savethechildren.org.uk
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