CYP Now - Early years business investment could boost economy, royal report finds

Investment by the private sector in the early years could add “at least £45.5bn in value” to the UK economy each year, according to research published by the Prince and Princess of Wales’s charity.

Investment in childcare could boost work opportunities for parents, the report finds. Picture: Micromonkey/Adobe Stock

This total includes £12.2bn by investing in young children’s improved learning and social skills for later life, saving £16.1bn in further support as they grow older, and £17.2bn by helping parents and carers access employment opportunities.

The Royal Foundation of the Prince and Princess of Wales report is calling on businesses to invest in schemes that increase access to “quality, affordable and reliable” childcare and improve young children’s social and emotional skills.

Members of a business taskforce, set up last year by the charity’s Centre for Early Childhood unit, are among firms to already pledge action.

This includes the Co-operative Group creating a specific early childhood fund as part of its apprentice levy scheme.

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