Bronwen Cohen: Communication may be the key

It is not a law, more akin to guidelines as this is an area which is largely the responsibility of member states themselves. But it does offer an important opportunity to address an issue where Scotland should be doing more.

Our recent report, Costs of childcare in Scotland, warned that Scotland's parents face a "triple-whammy". As the number of preschool centres has fallen, childcare costs continue to rise, and less support is available through the working tax credit system. As the birth rate continues to increase, the future looks bleak unless action is taken.

The new guidelines primarily address what we call nursery education, but explicitly advocates an integrated approach to education and care from birth. Few dissent from the need for a holistic approach but we still struggle with the historical legacy of the divide between education, and care services.

The funding, staffing and regulation of our services still reflect the tendency to see education as a more-valued public good, and care as something for which parents must pay. This translates into supporting access to part-time preschool education for children over the age of three whilst requiring most parents to pay for services themselves.

The guidelines advocate a universal and inclusive approach to developing services, strongly rejecting the targeting recommended by recent reports in England, because it tends to stigmatise beneficiaries, and can "lead to segregation at later stages of education". It also says it will prioritise investments in early childhood education and care within the Structural Funds.

As our political parties finalise their manifestos for May's elections we need to ask – what are their plans for making use of the "communication" to help Scotland's youngest citizens?

• Bronwen Cohen, chief executive of Children in Scotland www.childreninscotland.org.uk