Week left to have say on Early Years Policy
Parents and those with an interest in childcare have one week left to give their views on how the Scottish Government's new early years policy should be shaped.
Parents and those with an interest in childcare have one week left to give their views on how the Scottish Government's new early years policy should be shaped.
The consultation is seeking views on the range of policy options available to deliver the Scottish Government's commitment to almost double free early learning and childcare to 1,140 hours per year by 2020.
All three and four-year-olds in Scotland, as well as vulnerable two-year-olds, are entitled to 600 hours of free childcare every year, however ministers have faced criticism that some parents struggle to access the existing free hours due to a lack of flexibility.
Last month the Scottish Government announced pilot projects to test different models of childcare aimed at increasing flexibility, including using local childminders linked to nurseries to provide care before and after nursery hours, linking childcare to local employability services in areas of high deprivation, and integrating nurseries and out-of-school care.
Mark McDonald, Minister for Childcare and Early Years, urged people to respond to the consultation, which closes on January 9.
He said: We know the early years are a crucial time in every child's life and evidence shows that access to high quality early learning and childcare (ELC) is key to improving attainment.
By giving Scotland's young people the best possible start in life we can ensure they develop the skills and confidence they need to reach their full potential.
Parents and carers also benefit from a high quality, flexible system of ELC as it helps to support routes in to work, training or further study which may not have previously been accessible.
That is why the Scottish Government is committed to almost doubling the free ELC entitlement to 1,140 hours per year by 2020.
We are at a pivotal moment in developing the policy approach which will determine how the expansion is delivered, and I recently announced a number of trials to test new ways of providing childcare.
At the same time, we are also formally consulting on the wide range of policy options available to us, for example whether childminders or organisations with a wider social remit, such as charities or social enterprises, have a greater role to play.
There is one week left for people across Scotland to have their say on how our new ELC policy should be shaped, and I urge everyone with a view to respond to our consultation before it closes on January 9.''
A total of 11 new locations have been chosen for the pilot projects, in Argyll and Bute, Dundee, Glasgow, the Western Isles, the Shetland Isles, North Ayrshire, Dumfries and Galloway, East Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, Midlothian and Angus.
The new sites announced in December are the second round of trials and will start in the summer, following on from three initial pilot schemes unveiled in November which start in January.
These include extended days and cover over holidays in the Borders, a ''stay and play'' scheme for two-year-olds in Aberdeen allowing parents to stay, and extending access to a woodland play area in Edinburgh.
The Scottish Government consultation, A Blueprint for 2020: The Expansion of Early Learning and Childcare in Scotland, launched on October 15 2016.