Scotland: Government pledges £3.8m to support childcare settings to stay open

Speaking in the Scottish Parliament today, education Secretary John Swinney announced an extra £3.8m for each four-week period of restrictions for daycare providers that are open for vulnerable children during the lockdown.

He said, ‘More childcare options exist during this lockdown. Childminders remain open and informal childcare is an option for some families. We have set out three categories of key workers in order to support local authorities to keep numbers to a minimum.

‘I am aware that remaining open for very small numbers of children creates pressure for some childcare providers and I can therefore confirm that we will make temporary financial support of up to £3.8m for each four-week period of restrictions to providers of daycare of children who are open during these restrictions. We will confirm these details shortly and are considering further support to childminders.’

Daycare providers, and childminders that are currently providing childcare to 12 or more children, are currently open only to key worker and vulnerable children in Scotland.

The Scottish Government has launched this temporary financial package to ‘help mitigate the reduction in income resulting from operating below capacity and ensure these settings can remain open’, it says.

It also confirmed that grants will be available to ‘all childcare settings who meet the eligibility criteria’, regardless of whether they deliver the funded early learning and childcare entitlement.

Updated Guidance on the daycare services for children in light of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, states, ‘Support will be provided through grants to services that are open to deliver childcare to key worker and vulnerable children during the temporary restrictions.'