The Department of Education has today confirmed that the proposed cuts to Youth Services and a range of Early Years programmes including Bright Start, the Pathway Fund, Sure Start and Toybox will not now proceed. As a result, the Department has agreed to fund Bright Start at its 2022/23 level for the entirety of the financial year up to the end of March 2024.

Read the full story on the Department of Education’s website.

PlayBoard’s campaign to save the Bright Start fund exerted every effort to achieve a positive outcome for groups relying on this funding stream. We would like to extend our thanks to all of the settings, individuals, parents and carers who supported our campaign by lobbying local politicians and by creating videos and sharing stories, highlighting both the risk to services and the potential long-term negative impact on children and young people.

This announcement will not only safeguard jobs but 49 play-based settings are enabled to continue serving local children and their families.

#SaveBrightStartFunding #PlayStillMatters