Commenting on the passing of motion 24 at Annual Conference in Harrogate, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said:
"A high-quality early education reaps significant benefits for children and wider society, which last long beyond the foundation stage. All families, including the most disadvantaged, deserve access. Crucial to this is a thriving, fairly paid workforce specialised in early years practice and pedagogy.
"Maintained nursery schools (MNS) provide the greatest quality of early education but underfunding threatens their future. The government must show they understand the urgency of the situation and invest."