NIPPA Manifesto vital to seeing All Children Starting Strong - UUP
The Ulster Unionist Party has today welcomed the launch of NIPPA’S 2007 Manifesto for Early Years.
Speaking after the launch Cllr Marion Smith, the UUP candidate for North Down, said: “The vision of NIPPA to guarantee a good start in life to all our children is vital to producing healthy and content children who can live happily and unthreatened in their communities.
“We need to ensure that every child is given the very best start in life, which means ridding our society of poverty, supporting parents and providing a first-class education system accessible to all.
“We want communities in which our children can be nurtured to achieve their full potential and live without fear or worry. Northern Ireland needs a peaceful and inclusive society that facilitates the growth of happy and healthy in children who see difference as something to celebrate, not to fear.”
South Belfast candidate Dr Esmond Birnie went on to say: “The Ulster Unionist Party is committed to making sure that all children are well looked after in their early years.
“Our recently published manifesto for the 2007 Assembly Election outlines how we intend to achieve this. We want to ensure that progress towards a target of 70 Sure Start Centres by 2012 is achieved, as we know that an investment in early years leads to increased educational outcomes in later years.
“In addition we want to extend the Workplace Nurseries Initiative and the transformation Fund for the childcare workforce in Northern Ireland ensuring that our childcare workforce have the best opportunities available and to ensure that our children get the highest level of care possible.
“Furthermore we are committed to guaranteeing that every child in Northern Ireland is entitled to a full 20 hours of preschool education a week, providing all our children while a good educational foundation.
“Our children are the promise of a better future for Northern Ireland. We need to ensure that they have every opportunity to achieve this destiny.”