Welsh government's 11m funding boost for Flying Start

Ministers hope that the extra funding, announced as part of the draft budget proposals for 2014-15, will help the programme reach over 12,000 more families with children up to four years old by 2016.

The programme currently provides 23,579 disadvantaged families with free childcare for two and three-year-olds, parenting support, an enhanced health visitor service and help with early language development.

During the next two years £6m of capital funding will be invested in developing facilities and infrastructure needed for the expansion, including adding new Flying Start settings to the 146 currently operating across Wales.

There will also be £5m of revenue funding released in 2014-15 to cover the running costs of the programme, such as workers’ salaries.

Announcing the boost to funding at the Flying Start Family Centre in Granby, deputy poverty minister Vaughan Gething said, ‘This new funding shows that despite the unprecedented squeeze on our budget, we remain committed to helping families in our most deprived communities. The squeeze on wages, cuts to welfare and rising living costs make these the toughest of times for families in Wales.’

He added, ‘At its heart, Flying Start is about changing lives for the better. We are committed to providing this unique support to 36,000 families across Wales so we can help to protect them from poverty and give them the best start in life. This latest announcement secures the resources we need to make sure that we are on track to meet our expansion target.’

The total funding for Flying Start in this Assembly term will be £115m by the time of the next election in 2016. The Welsh Assembly invested £74m in the project in 2013-14.

The National Day Nurseries Association welcomesd the funding boost for the poorest areas of Wales.
 
Chief executive Purnima Tanuku said, 'NDNA is pleased that the Welsh Government’s draft budget will protect funding for the Flying Start programme with an additional £11m of funding.
 
'High-quality early education provides a significant advantage to all children and is vital for improving outcomes for children from disadvantaged communities.
 
'It is important that local authorities in Wales that are responsible for the delivery of Flying Start work with the PVI sector to ensure that children receive the highest quality childcare provision.
 
'The Flying Start guidance recommends that all nurseries are members of a childcare organisation such as NDNA and we welcome the government’s recognition of the experience and support we can offer those delivering early education.'