Sinn Féin MLA Cathy Mason stated that Education Minister Paul Givan's childcare proposals must provide increased support and fairness for pre-schools.

Mason, the party's spokesperson on childcare and early years, said staff in early years settings play a vital role in children's development.

She called for the minister's plan to expand free pre-school hours to fix funding gaps between different early years providers.

Mason noted that many pre-schools currently lack adequate resources compared to others.

She insisted that support for early years settings needs to be consistent across all types to promote fairness for providers and reliability for children and families.

Mason added that the proposals require proper funding for early years education and sufficient staff support to give every child a strong start.

Sinn Féin plans to collaborate with parents and early years staff to refine the minister's plans.