Early Years Wales will be launching its new manifesto, A Welsh Way Forward for Early Years: Policy Priorities for the Next Senedd, in an event on Wednesday, 1st October 2025, in the iconic Pierhead building in Cardiff Bay.
The manifesto outlines 14 crucial policy calls for the next Welsh Government, designed to offer both immediate recovery and long-term stability for Wales' early years sector.
The 14 Key Policy Calls Are:
- Statutory Recognition of Early Childhood, Play, Learning and Care (ECPLC)
- Reform of Parental Leave and Support
- Sustainable Childcare Funding
- Accessible and Simplified Childcare Offer
- Strengthening Parental Support Services
- Ministerial Leadership and Accountability
- Terminology Reform
- Movement and Physical Development
- Inclusive and Anti-Racist Practice
- Focus on the First 1,000 Days
- Workforce Development
- Welsh Language Promotion
- Childcare Ratios
- Additional Learning Needs (ALN) Support
With these priorities, Early Years Wales envisions a system that values early childhood as a distinct and viral phase of life. In order to realise this ambition, the manifesto calls for coherent policy, sustainable investment, and political accountability.
The event at the Pierhead will bring together key stakeholders from across the early years, education, health, social care sectors and political stakeholders. It will serve as a rallying call for a national conversation on how best to support children in their most formative years.
You can book your place to the event by clicking here.
Speaking ahead of the launch, David Godger, CEO of Early Years Wales, said:
"This manifesto represents the collective voice of a sector that is vital to the future of young children across Wales. Our calls are practical and rooted in the lived experience of children, families, and professionals. We urge policymakers to take bold action to embed early childhood, play, learning and care (ECPLC) at the heart of government priorities."