A Derry charity providing support for very young children with special needs will be forced to cut the number of places available in half unless extra funding can be secured.
This follows cuts to the budget available to the Department of Education at Stormont.
Little Orchids, a charity providing intervention and support for children aged from two to four years old based at Gransha Park on the outskirts of Derry city, was told two days ago that money from the Stormont 'Pathway Fund' won't be forthcoming in September.
Read more: Teachers 'buying resources for pupils due to lack of investment' despite financial pressures
The Department of Education has been hit hard by the handling of Stormont finances by the Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris in the absence of a functioning devolved government.
Desa Watson, finance and administration manager at Little Orchids, said her organisation learned of the cuts to the Pathways Fund through a video call with Stormont officials earlier this week.
Speaking to Belfast Live, she explained: "The Pathways Fund is for early intervention for early years. It's for vulnerable children so maybe children from areas of disadvantage or children with additional needs.
"We apply because our children have additional needs. Last week we got an email, a letter, saying that there was a possibility that funding would cease at the end of June.
"Two days ago there was a Zoom and that's when we were told Pathways is ending. They said they would give us an interim payment to cover us from April to June, and that it was highly likely that it would cease."
The charity is now in the process of trying to secure alternative funding, but in the meantime, funding from the Western Health and Social Care Trust is set to continue - meaning at least 16 places should still be available next year.
The interim funding until June means the children already attending Little Orchids won't lose their place.
"Pathways didn't fully fund us," Desa explained. "We still have a contract with the Trust but this [cut to the Pathways Fund] means we will have to reduce the number of places because we don't have enough money.
"At the minute we have 32 places but that will have to be reduced down, probably by 16 places. The number of places available to children with additional needs will be cut in half, if we don't get additional funding."
She added: "We are trying our best to try and get alternative funding."
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