The Firm Foundations Campaign is supported and informed by the Early Childhood Forum which is s a coalition of 60 professional associations, voluntary organisations and interest groups involved in early years.
Organisations and individuals who are supporting the Campaign include:
NDNA supports the Firm Foundations campaign. For many years we have been working to highlight the hugely positive role of nurseries in delivering high quality care and early learning and in supporting parents in helping children have the best start in life. In the run-up to the forthcoming election NDNA is also calling for all political parties to recognise this role and ensure that investment in early years continues to grow. Nurseries and childcarers are ideally placed to provide early intervention and this campaign shares more about how this is a real investment for any government, making potentially billions of ponds in savings later on. We also support the campaign’s calls for improved pay and conditions in the early years. Nursery staff are hugely committed but are still not paid their worth due to pressure on parental fees. It is critical that all parties look at how they can ensure they invest in the sector and its workforce so that quality can develop further, including ensuring that the free entitlement is adequately funded. NDNA will continue to highlight the needs of the sector so that they can deliver for children and families as well as adding our support to this campaign. Purnima Tanuku, Chief Executive of National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA)
We have made enormous strides in developing an early years’ service fit for 21st century demands. However, the job is not done and Centre for Research in Early Childhood believes the biggest challenge facing us right now is in holding our nerve and sustaining, or even increasing, the necessary funding and political commitment to ensure these achievements are not lost during times of economic constraint. This challenge will require a concerted campaign to convince the unconvinced of the benefits of continuing such a significant scale of investment. It will also require more than an economic rationale, but demand that we make the ethical and moral case for sustained investment. This debate is fundamentally about what kind of society we all want to live in and will involve all of us in decisions which are based on our values, our ethics and our beliefs. In making this case there is an urgent need to better disseminate information and awareness of the ‘quiet and historic revolution’ that has occurred and how it is contributing to achieving a more cohesive, inclusive, secure and responsible society.It is this critically important task that is at the heart of the Firm Foundations Campaign and one to which we at CREC are fully committed and offers our total support. Professor Chris Pascal and Professor Tony Bertram, Centre for Research into Early Childhood
All parents know how important and precious the first few years of their children’s lives are. The need for investment and quality in early childhood education and childcare services cannot be overstated. That is why I’m delighted to support the NCB’s Firm Foundations campaign which will help to spread the word and drive momentum behind this crucial agenda. Anne Longfield OBE, Chief Executive of 4Children
NCMA is the largest not for profit organisation supporting registered childminders and nannies. We support the Firm Foundations Campaign because we believe that providing all children with the ability to reach their full potential is an important priority; investment in training and support for early years providers is key to helping this become a reality. Sustained support is needed to ensure that the evolution of a highly-qualified and respected early years and childcare workforce continues. Andrew Fletcher, Joint Chief Executive, NCMA
The National Union of Teachers supports the Firm Foundations Campaign in its aim to promote investment and increased quality in early years. Through the continual development of a high quality workforce, which is both supported and rewarded appropriately, the quality of experience and outcomes for young children will be raised. Christine Blower, General Secretary, NUT
