Children:Labour's first commitment for change if the party gets into government is a year of free pre- school education for all children, the party spokeswoman on children, Senator Kathleen O'Meara, told the conference.
She said the party was committed to improving the quality of life of parents and children - and to opening up a new frontier in education for young children.
"I am finding that all over my own constituency in North Tipperary, parents are telling me about the challenges they are facing - the challenge of balancing work and being a parent, and the pressure many parents feel of managing a household budget while at the same time making sure their children have everything they need, to give them the best start in life.
"I have talked to many parents about our commitment to a year of free pre-school education for all our children. As parents they can see that this commitment will go a long way towards easing the financial pressure they are under - while at the same time giving every child in this country the opportunity for the best start in life, to be the best that they can be, which is what we all want for our children," she said.
Ms O'Meara said that any primary school teacher could tell which four-year-olds had been to pre-school because they learned so much there. Pre-school education made a huge difference to children who were disadvantaged, she said.
"In fact, pre-school education is the only way, the only way, to really deal with this disadvantage effectively. That's another reason we are so committed to it - because we know that giving all our children free pre-school education will work - especially for those who really need help early in life," she added.
