The Assembly last week invited people and organisations in Wales to air their views on the priorities for the rest of its first term until May 2003, including childcare, education and child health. A Plan for Wales website has been set up to encourage participation.
The Welsh Assembly was the first to create a children's commissioner in the UK. In the past two years it has introduced Sure Start in each local authority area and offered meningitis 'C' vaccination to all children.
To give every child a 'flying start' the Assembly has pledged to ensure early years education for all three-year-olds whose parents want it, to move to full integration between childcare and nursery provision from three to seven, and to expand family literacy and numeracy schemes.
By 2003-04 the Assembly aims for no primary classes to have more than 30 pupils and by 2010 to give every child a prospectus of out-of-school activities combining volunteering, enterprise, cultural, sporting and outdoor activities and to ensure there are enough professionals to support special educational needs.
Wales Pre-school Playgroups Association executive officer Wendy Hawkins welcomed the consultation. She said, 'We hope the National Assembly will work with the voluntary sector and local government to ensure the needs of the children and their families are taken on board and all existing provision will have the chance to be included in the future. This means funding playgroups as well as schools, as long as they meet quality standards.
'Everyone in Wales wants the best for the children and the voluntary sector and local schools can work together to provide this, as long as the schools do not provide first, and the playgroups just pick up the slack.' The consultation ends on 13 September. For copies of the plan call 029 2082 3388 or see www.planforwales.wales.gov.uk