MSP calls for flexibilty of early learning and childcare rollout

Aberdeenshire East MSP Gillian Martin has welcomed the latest figures which show that 99 per cent of eligible children in Aberdeenshire have taken up their entitlement to 1140 hours of free early learning and childcare.

However, she has written to Aberdeenshire Council in connection to concerns raised with her by constituents around inflexibility of some local authority placements, as some settings only allow fixed sessions of set hours.

Constituents have reported issues around set hours which do not necessarily fit with the hours that parents or carers work, requiring alternative childcare to be arranged. Alternative provision of funded hours is not always available for families.

Ms Martin has asked the council to confirm whether there will be opportunities for families in Aberdeenshire to provide feedback to the council around whether the current set up fits their needs, or whether some adaptions could be made for greater flexibility.

Ms Martin has also asked if Aberdeenshire Council may consider the possibility to provide extra, charged for, hours at some of its early learning and childcare settings in addition to the funded hours.

The 1140 hours of free childcare will save parents around £5000 per child, which is a tremendous support to households given the current cost of living crisis.

Ms Martin said: “Access to good-quality early years care and education is immensely important, not only due to the ways it helps parents and carers.

"Early learning and childcare settings play an important part in children’s development and in closing the poverty-related attainment gap.

“An affordable and accessible system of childcare is key to helping parents and carers to access work, training, or study, while children benefit from chances to make friends and take part in activities.

"However, the offer must work for families and there has to be a flexibility in hours. There is no point in having an offer that does not work in with the other obligations of parents.

“I am delighted to know that 99 per cent of eligible children in Aberdeenshire have taken up their entitlement to 1140 hours of free early learning and childcare, but I do feel a duty to raise the issues of families.

"After all, they are the ones who are best placed to give constructive feedback on ways to improve our early learning and childcare system.”

Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.