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How can the Welsh Government’s childcare expansion provide the best outcomes for children? - 4 Nov 2026 12:00 – 13:00

This event is available in both Welsh and English.

Mae adroddiad gan lywodraeth Cymru yn dangos pan fydd chwarae, dysgu a gofal plentyndod cynnar (ECPLC) o ansawdd uchel, gall lunio sgiliau iaith, datblygiad corfforol a chymdeithasol-emosiynol plant, a chanlyniadau hirdymor yn uniongyrchol. Mae'n arbennig o bwysig gwneud hyn yn iawn ar gyfer babanod a phlant iau a phlant sy'n tyfu i fyny mewn aelwydydd incwm isel.

Mae ymrwymiad Llywodraeth Cymru i ehangu ECPLC i bob plentyn o naw mis oed i’w groesawu. Ond mae sicrhau bod addysg o ansawdd uchel mewn lleoliadau gofal plant yn cael blaenoriaeth yn ystod y broses gyflwyno yn hanfodol os yw'r buddsoddiad hwn am gyflawni'r canlyniadau gorau posibl i blant.

Ddydd Mercher 4 Tachwedd rhwng 12:00 a 13:00 GMT bydd Andy Regan, Pennaeth Nesta Cymru yn cadeirio panel arbenigol yn cynnwys Ellie Bristow, rheolwr cenhadaeth ar gyfer cenhadaeth Nesta o sicrhau dechrau teg, Steffan Evans, prif weithredwr Sefydliad Bevan, Catrin Edwards, prif weithredwr Mudiad Meithrin a Gail Bennett, rheolwr cymorth gwasanaethau blynyddoedd cynnar a theuluoedd Cyngor Sir y Fflint. Gyda'i gilydd byddant yn archwilio'r mewnwelediadau diweddaraf y maes gofal plant presennol yng Nghymru, gan archwilio'r risgiau a'r cyfleoedd sy'n gysylltiedig â'r hyn a fwriedir ei gyflwyno.

Mae'r digwyddiad hwn ar gyfer unrhyw weithiwr proffesiynol sydd â diddordeb mewn deilliannau plentyndod cynnar yng Nghymru. Efallai eich bod yn gweithio fel arweinydd strategol y blynyddoedd cynnar i awdurdod lleol, yn ddarparwr y blynyddoedd cynnar, yn academydd, yn ymchwilydd, neu'n luniwr polisi sydd â diddordeb yn y ffordd orau y gall polisi'r blynyddoedd cynnar gefnogi plant a theuluoedd.

Cofrestrwch i dderbyn manylion digwyddiadau, negeseuon atgoffa a dolenni ymuno yn syth i'ch mewnflwch.

A report from the Welsh Government shows that when early childhood play, learning and care (ECPLC) is of high quality, it can directly shape children’s language skills, physical and social-emotional development, and long-term outcomes. It is particularly important to get this right for babies and younger children and children growing up in low-income households.

The Welsh Government’s commitment to expanding ECPLC for all children from nine months old is welcome. But ensuring high-quality education in childcare settings is prioritised during rollout is essential if this investment is to deliver the best possible outcomes for children.

On Wednesday 4 November from 12:00-13:00 GMT Andy Regan, Head of Nesta Cymru will chair an expert panel including Ellie Bristow, mission manager of Nesta's fairer start mission, Steffan Evans, chief executive at Bevan Foundation, Catrin Edwards, chief executive at Mudiad Meithrin and Gail Bennett, early years and family service support manager at Flintshire Council. Together they will explore the latest insights into the current childcare landscape in Wales, examining both the risks and opportunities of the planned rollout.

This event is for any professional interested in early childhood outcomes in Wales. You might work as a strategic early years lead in a local authority, an early years provider, an academic, researcher, or a policymaker interested in how early years policy can best support children and families.

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Speakers

Andy Regan_final

Andy Regan

He/Him

Andy leads Nesta’s work in Wales, with a particular focus on influencing devolved policy around our missions, and promoting the use of applied innovation in policy making. He joined Nesta in 2021 as Wales Mission Manager in the Sustainable Future team, leading our partnership project with the Development Bank of Wales, and our work to influence devolved policy on heat. He later became a Senior Mission Manager, leading the mission’s GB-wide work on demand flexibility and Inclusion Andy has a background in energy policy in roles at Ofgem and Citizens Advice - where he co-chaired the Fuel Poverty Coalition Cymru. He joined Nesta from the independent think tank the Institute of Welsh Affairs, where he oversaw their policy and external affairs work.

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Catrin Edwards

She/Her

Chief executive, Mudiad Meithrin

unnamed (2)

Gail Bennett

She/Her

Service manager – early years and family service, Flintshire Council

Ellie Bristow profile pic

Ellie Bristow

She/Her

Ellie is the manager for Nesta's fairer start mission in Wales. Before joining Nesta, Ellie was the National Literacy Trust's policy and public affairs manager, advocating for literacy across early years, schools, and the criminal justice system. She also worked as a senior researcher at Cardiff Metropolitan University where she supported projects on teacher recruitment and retention, and the Curriculum for Wales. Ellie has a PhD in Language and Communication from Cardiff University, where her research explored approaches to supporting children’s vocabulary development. She has worked as a freelance literacy and education consultant across Wales, and as a tutor and researcher in linguistics, speech and language therapy, and education and social policy. She also helped develop the Welsh Government's National Strategy for Education Research and Enquiry and its educational equity strategy.

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Steffan Evans

He/Him

Chief executive, Bevan Foundation