Tag: childcare

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£1.5 million childcare boost for deprived areas

Money for more nursery teachers and graduates in deprived areas

More teachers and graduates are to be recruited for nurseries in deprived areas in Scotland through a £1.5 million investment to expand early learning and childcare, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced. An extra 435 graduates will be in place by 2018, with every local authority area set to increase their nursery staff numbers.

Edinburgh will get an extra twenty graduates under the initiative – either a teacher with early years expertise or a graduate practitioner with the BA Childhood Practice award.

The funding is the first step towards realising the commitment to ensure nurseries in the most deprived areas benefit from an additional graduate by 2018 – either a teacher with early years expertise or a graduate practitioner with the BA Childhood Practice award.

Making the announcement while visiting the nursery at Gorebridge Primary School, the First Minister said: “Increasing the number of teachers and graduates in nurseries is absolutely crucial to tackling the attainment gap right from the start of a child’s education.

“We all recognise the importance of high quality early learning and childcare to the development of our young people, and access to the right staff with the right expertise is key to this.

“By providing the best possible start in life we can ensure our young people develop the skills and confidence they need to reach their full potential, we know this is particularly true for children who face the greatest disadvantage.

“That is why, as part of this commitment, we are investing £1.5 million in 2017-18 to train additional teachers and graduates. By targeting these additional resources in Scotland’s most disadvantaged areas we can improve attainment and make sure every child born in Scotland has an equal chance to succeed, regardless of their background.”

Minister for Childcare and Early Years Mark McDonald (above) said: “This is an extremely exciting time for early learning and childcare as we take forward the most significant expansion ever seen in Scotland – almost doubling free provision to 1140 hours by 2020.

“During this expansion our priority is to ensure quality remains at the heart of the program and a diverse, highly skilled workforce is key to achieving this.

“We will work closely with local authorities to deliver this commitment in a way which maximises the number of children who will benefit.”

The announcement has been welcomed by local politicians, who say the increased free provision to 1140 hours by 2020 will have a positive impact for families across Edinburgh.

SNP MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Ben Macpherson said: “This new funding is very welcome news for Edinburgh, helping to ensure that more children in our most deprived communities are able to benefit from specialised childcare and high quality early years learning. 

“The Scottish Government is committed to closing the attainment gap, and targeting funding in this way, as well as expanding the guaranteed free childcare provision to 1140 hours by 2020, is important in making this happen, and to ensure that every child across Edinburgh gets an equal start in life. 

“The 20 new graduates or teachers that will be joining our workforce in Edinburgh will help improve childcare provision in our communities, and I look forward to seeing the Scottish Government continue to invest in our children’s futures.”

 City of Edinburgh Council’s Vice-Convenor of Education, Children and Families, Cathy Fullerton said: “I would like to thank the Scottish Government for their continued commitment to improving the lives of our children. These 20 new posts will give children from deprived communities, such as my own ward, a better start to life.”

 

 

 

Childcare consultation: one week to have your say

Parents, carers, providers and all those with an interest in early years and childcare are being urged to respond to a Scottish Government consultation before it closes next week. It seeks views on the wide range of policy options available to deliver the Scottish Government’s commitment to almost double free early learning and childcare to 1140 hours per year by 2020. Continue reading Childcare consultation: one week to have your say

More opportunities with Childcare Academy

We have more dates in place for our Childcare Academy Information Sessions: 

Thursday 15th December @ 10am

Thursday 12th January @ 10am

Thursday 26th January @ 10am

Monday 6th February @ 1pm

Wednesday 15th February @ 10am

Wednesday 22nd February @ 1pm

If you would like to book a place to come along and hear more about the Academy, ask any questions and take away an application pack, please do not hesitate to contact me on the number below or Barbara Webster on 0131 311 6926

Kind Regards,

Audrey O’Neill

Senior Training Administrator

North Edinburgh Childcare

18b Ferry Road Avenue, Edinburgh EH4 4BL

DDI:  0131 311 6931

Fax:  0131 315 4420 

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Making free childcare more flexible

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Minister for Childcare and Early Years, Mark McDonald, has announced that Edinburgh, Aberdeen and the Scottish Borders will be the first three locations for Early Learning and Childcare expansion trials. The Minister made the announcement during a visit to Craigentinny Nursery yesterday.

The trials, which form part of the Scottish Government’s drive to increase the flexibility, quality and quantity of provision, will commence in January 2017 and will test out a variety of models including:

  • Extended days and cover over the holiday period
  • ‘Stay and Play’ for two year olds where parents are reluctant to leave their children
  • Improved access to outdoor learning

Mr McDonald said: “High quality early learning and childcare plays a vital role in narrowing the attainment gap that is why this Government has gone further than any other in our commitment to expanding free entitlement.

“But, the Scottish Government is not simply determined to increase the amount of early learning and childcare. We are also determined to deliver the flexibility that families need to make best use of high quality childcare.

“Right now, councils work hard to be flexible but we must all acknowledge that too often the system does not offer places where and when families need them. We are going to change that.

“We have already launched a major consultation looking at different options, including blending together ideas like funding following the child and Children in Scotland’s Childcare Commission proposal that parents can opt to receive funding in a childcare account.

“Today, we are launching a series of trials to test various models of delivery for the expansion to 1,140 hours.

“By trialling different delivery models we will be better able to understand what parents and children need and want. The three successful local authorities announced today put forward a diverse range of proposals and I look forward to seeing how these work in practice.”

“As highlighted in research from Heriot-Watt University published yesterday, quality childcare is a key contributor to reducing poverty and tackling inequality. Today marks the latest milestone in Scotland’s journey towards a high-quality, flexible childcare system that helps children, parents and families the length and breadth of the country.”

Councillor Cammy Day, Education Children and Families Convener for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “It’s important for children to experience a diverse education from an early age and the Forest Kindergarten trial project is a really innovative way of enriching their learning as research shows that education outdoors has a really beneficial impact on young people.

“Apart from the positive educational benefits the project will also give pupils from areas of social deprivation opportunities and experiences which may otherwise be limited to them.”