The commitment of Kirklees Council to the development and expansion of learning opportunities for three and four-year-olds is spelt out in a new document.

It was put before the Lifelong Learning Manage-ment Board yesterday.

Councillor John Smithson, chairman of the board, said: "While there is absolutely no doubt that the strongest influence on a child's life in early years is within the home and family, there is equally no doubt that the earlier they benefit from pre-school learning the better equipped they are to successfully go through their school life into their teenage years and beyond that into further and higher education."

He said their aim was to ensure that all young children in Kirklees got the best start in life through services which enabled them to learn as well as play, and gave them confidence to mix and develop with other children from an early age.

The 17-page document will be widely circulated and used as a basis for the continued development of early years education and partnership across the district.