Steve Brine brought the Early Years Minister, Caroline Dinenage MP, to Winchester on Thursday 26th January, as she visited St Paul's pre-school in Fulflood.
The Winchester MP met up with the St Paul's team last spring, and having discussed a range of issues with staff, pledged to arrange a Ministerial visit to the nursery to explore the issues surrounding government plans for 30 hours free childcare in depth.
Following a tour of the nursery, Ms Dinenage sat down for a detailed roundtable discussion with the pre-school leaders, as well as other providers from across the constituency. The meeting was aided by the presence of top civil servants from the department, and Caroline was able to confirm a number of points, as well as ensure a clear line of communication over the coming months.
Mr Brine said: "Our manifesto commitment to delivery 30-hours free childcare for working parents, and childcare settings, who want it is really important and a huge step forward.
"But it must be applied in each area in a way that respects and builds upon what we have already and ensure there are no unintended consequences before it's rolled out nationwide later this year.
"The visit by the Minister was something I promised to do when I visited St Paul's Pre-School last year and it was extremely helpful I think in helping them, as well as the other local providers who joined us, prepare for the policy going live."
During the visit, Caroline Dinenage, who is responsible for Women, Equalities and Early Years, spoke about the positive impact on working parents in each of the government's eight Early Implementer councils. These areas have already been offering 30 hours free childcare since September 2016 - which could save parents up to £5,000 per year – and their feedback will help ensure a successful national launch in September this year.
Speaking afterwards, Caroline Dinenage said: "It's a real privilege, in my visits around the country, to be meeting so many dedicated early years staff who show such passion for their job. I'm grateful to staff at St Paul's Pre-School for taking the time to show me around, and to those who joined our meeting here in Winchester today.
"Making sure our youngest children are given the tools to achieve their full potential is vital, and high quality early education is such an important part of this. That's why we are supporting working parents of three- and four-year olds by doubling our free childcare offer from 15 hours per week to 30, backed by our record investment of £6billion per year by 2020."
Clare Sheppard, from St Paul's pre-school, said: "This policy represents a huge shift in early years setting and how they operate. Our overarching concern is the financial viability and sustainability of our setting. We really valued the opportunity for the Minister to listen to our concerns over the implementation of the policy and the potential impact on settings like ours. We were glad of the opportunity to invite other early years providers to share their views.
"We're also grateful to the Minister and her team for actively offering to follow up personally on our concerns. We now have a direct line of communication with the Minister and her office, so we can pursue this over the coming weeks."
Pictured; Steve Brine and the Minister with the team from St Paul's and Babs Smith (on the far right of the picture) from Riverbank Kindergarten in Martyr Worthy plus Mary Mould from Woodhams Farm Day Nursery (in scarf) in Kings Worthy, and in addition, Rachel Lamb, deputy head, with Steve Brine and Caroline Dinenage
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