Nursery World - Scottish government says childcare expansion on track, despite some delays

While more than one in three eligible children are taking up the expanded 1,140 hours of funded early learning and childcare in Scotland, there have been delays to increasing provision in some areas.

Children's minister Maree Todd on a previous visit to a nursery in Scotland

According to official figures from the Scottish Government, almost 50,000 three- and four-year-olds and eligible two-year-olds are benefitting from the expanded entitlement, which will roll out nationally from August.

A number of local authorities across Scotland are already offering the 1,140 hours – nearly double the number of funded hours children were entitled to at 600 hours.

The figures, which were compiled from data provided by local authorities up to the end of September 2019, show that the majority of places are being delivered by local authority-run provision.

However, the Scottish Government says that data from local authorities suggests that capacity is lower than forecast in some areas due to delays in projects being completed or in new staff completing the PVG (Protecting Vulnerable Groups) checks.

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