We call on the Government to fund free meal entitlements for all disadvantaged children accessing government-funded early education in registered early years settings, comparable to the support available through free school meals.

Many families struggle to meet the additional cost of meals charged by early years providers, potentially limiting children’s access to funded early education. Early years settings also face significant financial pressures and cannot always absorb these costs. We believe the Government should fund free, nutritious meals for eligible disadvantaged children directly, ensuring that early years providers can remain financially sustainable and that no child is excluded because of their family’s financial circumstances.