Funded hours for childcare extended for under fives

Up to 130,000 children will be able to benefit from 1,140 hours of free early learning and childcare each year from this month, the Scottish Government has confirmed.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon during a visit to the Fallin Nursery in Fallin, Stirlingshire.

Available to all three and four-year-olds, as well as two-years-olds who need it most, the flagship commitment will reportedly save families childcare costs of around £4,900 per child each year.

Delivery of the 1,140 hours offer brings Scottish Government funding for early learning and childcare in 2021-22 to over £1 billion. The Scottish Government has also provided local authorities with £476 million of capital over the last four years, which has enabled them to refurbish, re-purpose and extend hundreds of existing nursery settings, as well as providing over 150 new facilities across Scotland.

The Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 (Modification) Order 2021 places a statutory duty on education authorities to make 1,140 hours of funded early learning and childcare available to eligible children. The order came into effect on 1 August.

The expansion of funded childcare, originally intended for August 2020, was paused in April 2020.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon made the announcement during a visit to Fallin Nursery, Stirling, where she met staff and children.

She said: “All children deserve the best start in life. Providing access to free, high-quality early learning and childcare enriches children’s early years and provides them with skills and confidence for starting school and beyond. It also supports parents’ ability to work, train or study.

“I am delighted to announce that every local authority in Scotland has assured us they are ready to deliver the 1,140 hours offer by the start of the new term – a truly transformational offer that will benefit children and families all over the country. Getting to this point, especially given the challenges of the pandemic, has taken a mammoth effort and I’d like to thank local authorities and private and voluntary sector providers for helping to make it happen.”

COSLA Children and Young People’s Spokesperson Councillor Stephen McCabe said: “This announcement is good news for families across Scotland with children able to benefit from almost double the amount of funded childcare later this month. These additional hours will be transformative for families, ensuring children have more time to play and learn while parents and carers will have more opportunities to work, study or volunteer.

“The delivery of the 1,140 hours expansion of early learning and childcare is the result of hard work by councils and our partners, who have made huge efforts to deliver against the extremely challenging and ever-changing nature of the pandemic.”

Early Years Scotland chief executive Jane Brumpton said: “Children and families will now have access to more funded hours of early learning and childcare than ever before. We know that investing in the earliest years of a child’s life is crucial to a child’s positive development, and has long-lasting impacts on outcomes in health, education, and positive life chances. Early Years Scotland very much welcomes this duty coming into force, and will work closely with Scottish Government and our members to support the rollout of this important policy.”

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