The new Dunluce Family Centre opened in 2016
It follows confirmation from the Department for Education that the Pathway Fund which caters to Early Years education and learning services for children 0-4 years will likely cease at the end of June 2023 as a result of Stormont budget pressures.
Said the Foyle MLA: “The level of cuts, especially within education, being announced on a near daily basis is completely unsustainable.
“Last week the Book Start Baby scheme was the latest service facing the axe now this week the department have said that funding for facilitators of Early Years education, childminders and day care settings.
“The incremental reduction in Early Years initiatives is deeply concerning and I fear will have serious repercussions which will be acutely felt in disadvantaged areas who rely on these provisions.
“The end of the Pathway Fund paints a precarious picture for Early Years services; a sector already chronically underfunded.
“It will also have a profound impact on the local economy and opportunities for parents to return to work.
“This sector and so many others have battled with the consequences of the absence of government for four out of the past six years.
“Organisations who avail of Pathway Funding such as the Dunluce Family Centre in Ballymagroarty offer invaluable support.
“How many casualties must be endured before we call it what it is? An emergency with no one rushing to help.
“Unthinkable decisions are being made with less accountability and are completely untenable.
“These atrocious funding cuts will set an entire generation at a disadvantage. The restoration of Stormont is needed urgently.
“The SDLP will do everything in our power to ensure these cuts are undone and that children and their families are given the best start.”
