More families access free childcare through Flying Start
To date, more than 10,000 children have benefited from the scheme, surpassing the goal of reaching 9,500 additional children.
Dawn Bowden, minister for children and social care, said: "This significant expansion has exceeded our targets, bringing quality early years support to thousands more children.
"High quality early years provision helps to maximise child development outcomes and supports the best start in life.
"I'm immensely proud of our Flying Start workforce for making this possible as we work towards universal childcare for all two-year-olds."
Over the past two years, more than 13,400 children and families have been offered places, with 80 per cent taking up the offer in 2024-25.
Flying Start offers 12.5 hours of free, high-quality childcare each week for eligible two-year-olds.
The Welsh Government has invested an additional £25 million this year to expand the programme further, with a third phase expected to reach more than 4,000 additional children across Wales.
The scheme also supports the government's goal of reaching one million Welsh speakers by 2050, with more than 2,000 places in phase two taken up at Welsh-medium settings.
Mark Drakeford, cabinet secretary for finance and Welsh language, said: "It's encouraging to see more families choosing Welsh-medium childcare."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Argus
5 hours ago
- South Wales Argus
£5m investment secured for Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal
The Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal which runs from Brecon to Cwmbran has sparked tonnes of debate. Concerns the canal was going to 'dry up' after a period of extreme hot weather experienced this year and new charges surrounding water licensing regulations led to campaigners 'upping the ante.' Campaigners took their message of 'Save The Mon and Brec' to the Senedd where a debate was held on July 9. Now, the Welsh Government have pledged to help preserve the canal. Protesters outside the Senedd campaigning to save the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal (Image: NQ) £5 million is being invested to upgrade a pumping station in Brecon to help support the current water supply arrangement and possibly extend it. A formal statement made on July 17 by Huw Irranca-Davies, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs reads: 'I intend to prioritise capital funding of up to £5m within my budget to upgrade the pumping station, which is supporting the current temporary agreement. 'I have asked my officials to engage immediately with Dŵr Cymru to progress the necessary works this year. I hope this will provide the basis for the arrangement to be put on a longer-term footing. This is a significant indication of Welsh Government commitment to the future of the canal.' Protesters outside the Senedd campaigning to save the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal (Image: NQ) Campaigners are overwhelmed by the news and reaction has been strong. Activist group Preserve and Protect issued the following statement: 'The Welsh Government announced that "it intends to prioritise capital funding of up to £5m within its budget to upgrade the pumping station, which is supporting the current temporary agreement. 'This is great news for the Mon & Brec canal and is as a direct result of everyone's campaigning, the petition, and the Senedd rally.' Inland Waterways Wales said: 'IWA hugely welcomes Huw Irranca-Davies's statement yesterday on the future of the Mon & Brec. Our campaign along with Preserve & Protect The Mon & Brec Canal & others has seen results. 'This emergency Welsh Gov funding is a first piece of the puzzle. The Task & Finish Group must act faster now for a fair, lasting solution. 'The Mon & Brec is vital to communities, boaters, businesses & wildlife. It deserves a future as rich as its past.' Protesters outside the Senedd campaigning to save the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal (Image: NQ) The Canal and Rivers Trust argued that more long-term solution surrounding water licensing should be introduced. It said: 'The Canal & River Trust notes that the upgrade of this asset will not address the cost and operational issues for the Trust itself that are the consequence of the new licence conditions. These issues must be addressed to secure the future of the canal. 'The Deputy First Minister has, however, also acknowledged that the group working on longer-term solutions must 'identify how any capital works and ongoing costs of the water supplied will be met', noting that this will require a collective endeavour. 'The Trust welcomes this commitment. The Trust will continue to champion the beautiful 'Mon & Brec' and everything it offers, and urges all those involved to work together to secure its long-term future.' Since 2017, the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal has been required to hold a water abstraction licence to draw water from the River Usk — a resource it had used freely for over two centuries. Now, under new licensing rules, the Canal and River Trust Wales must liaise with Natural Resources Wales to extract water. The charity is struggling with water charges reportedly reaching tens of thousands of pounds per week. In April, an emergency water supply agreement was reached between the Canal and River Trust and Welsh Water, but it was made clear that this solution is only temporary. The future of the canal remains uncertain.
Cambrian News
10 hours ago
- Cambrian News
Expert group to look at how AI can improve public services in Wales
'The First Minister announced £2.5m for Welsh public services to ensure we are making the best use of AI; as well as the creation of a dedicated Office for AI within the Welsh Government.
Leader Live
12 hours ago
- Leader Live
Wrexham: The Drunk Monk celebrates its fourth birthday
The Drunk Monk is tucked away in Overton Arcade on Wrexham High Street. Run by Kieran Irwin, his fiancée Dannii Rathbone and Kieran's brother Sean, the idea of starting the business was first discussed during the Covid-19 pandemic. By now, it has grown to the point where it regularly offers over 100 beers, showcasing the best from across Wales and England and also the rest of the world. The Drunk Monk just recently scooped the 'Best Pub' prize at the Best of North Wales Business Awards. And, this weekend (July 26/27), the business is celebrating its fourth year of existence. The Leader paid them a visit earlier this week to speak to Kieran about its growth, the impact of Wrexham AFC's takeover and what's in store for the future. Kieran, who moved to Wrexham from Handsworth in the West Midlands a decade ago, told us: "It all started out as a lockdown hobby idea for me and my brother (Sean). He initially came up with the idea of opening our own microbrewery. "But, after we looked into it more, we said 'why don't we open a bar?' and that conversation led to us finding a premises. "To begin with, it was only the small room with the bar in but, after a year of being open, we knocked through into the old salon next door. We now have a pool table upstairs and a darts board up there and it's a room we use for parties." (Image: Wrexham) From the start Kieran - who also works at Wrexham University as the venue manager for the Students Union Bar - has set out with the goal of promoting the best of local Welsh beers. He said: "People talk about Belgium, Germany and places like that having the best beers, but they also don't realise how many breweries we have in Wales and the UK, where there are some quality beers on offer. "We do get our beers from across the world, including German beers in for OktoberFest. But, we also promote Tiny Rebel who are based down South, as well as the likes of Magic Dragon who are based here in Wrexham. "We try to always get the North Wales beers in and then we continuously have four different beers every week on draught. We have our set house beers of Snowdon (Colwyn Bay), Wrexham Lager and Clwb Tropica (Newport) and then four new beers which we change around and they could be from anywhere including Scotland and Plymouth. "We typically have anywhere between 80 to over 100 different beers at any one time, we just try to keep it constantly changing." Asked about which beers prove most popular, Kieran added: "Without a shadow of a doubt, it's Clwb Tropica at the moment. Then it's a toss up for second place between Snowdon and Wrexham Lager. Snowdon is very popular, it flies out." Kieran says that when he initially suggested the idea to people, they advised against it. But, he and partner Dannii - who are getting married in November - pushed on with the project. He said: "People said to us; 'don't do it, Wrexham is not a craft beer town, it's a lager town', but we wanted to prove people wrong. And it turns out it was worth it. "We have now taken on the bar at Ty Pawb market, and we have a Beer Festival coming up in November, with local breweries in Wales and the UK coming in for that. "Dannii is my co-owner in all of this, she is the real 'hands on' one." The upstairs function room at The Drunk Monk which features a pool table and a darts board. (Image: Newsquest) It's no secret that the takeover of Wrexham AFC by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney back in 2021 has had boosted the city's economy greatly. That takeover took place at around the same time The Drunk Monk was established. Talking about that, Kieran said: "It's been massive, it's brilliant on matchdays, we are packed before the match and after the game, especially if Wrexham win. "Even now, during the summer, we get Americans, Canadians, Germans and Dutch people coming in. The football has massively impacted not just us, but bars all across the town. "Especially with the promotions, it's like Christmas in May, so hopefully they can do it again." As mentioned, The Drunk Monk was recently awarded a 'Best Pub' in North Wales prize. And the night of the ceremony is one Kieran will not forget anytime soon - as he sadly wasn't there. He said: "A few customers nominated us for the prize, but we didn't think we had a chance, because we're still one of the smallest pubs around. READ MORE "So, we went on holiday and we missed the actual event, but watched the ceremony online. We were shocked to win, it was frustrating not being there, but awesome at same time." The Drunk Monk team now has its own OktoberFest event, as well as the 'A Brewed Awakening' beer festival on November 28 to look forward to later this year. Speaking about his longer term plans, Kieran said: "Long term, I want to open another bar, maybe not in Wrexham but within an hour radius. Then, in a year or two, we want to go back to the microbrewery, where the conversations started. We're not experts still but that would be our dream."
