Written Question · S6W-17707 · Session 6
When it plans to introduce free, publicly-funded childcare for all one- and two-year-olds, in light of the commitment by the First Minister…
The question
To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to introduce free, publicly-funded childcare for all one- and two-year-olds, in light of the commitment by the First Minister to do so.
The answer
Scotland already has the most generous childcare offer anywhere in the UK. We offer 1140 hours of high quality funded Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) to all 3 and 4-year-olds and eligible two-year-olds, regardless of the working status of their parents.
New Leadership: A Fresh Start ( Supporting documents
- Equality, opportunity, community: New leadership
- A fresh start
- gov.scot (www.gov.scot) ) sets out our ambition to go further by building a system of school age childcare and developing a funded early learning and childcare offer for 1 and 2 year olds, focusing on those who need it most.
I will soon set out further detail of my plans for further expansion of our childcare offer. We are already developing our plans for younger children, starting in this Parliament, by building the evidence base for funded early learning and childcare for 1- and 2-year-olds. Ministers are considering carefully the financial implications of the UK Budget for Scotland, but we need to be clear that the total additional funding made available falls far short of the costs of delivering a significant expansion to our funded childcare offers.
New Leadership: A Fresh Start ( Supporting documents
- Equality, opportunity, community: New leadership
- A fresh start
- gov.scot (www.gov.scot) ) sets out our ambition to go further by building a system of school age childcare and developing a funded early learning and childcare offer for 1 and 2 year olds, focusing on those who need it most.
I will soon set out further detail of my plans for further expansion of our childcare offer. We are already developing our plans for younger children, starting in this Parliament, by building the evidence base for funded early learning and childcare for 1- and 2-year-olds. Ministers are considering carefully the financial implications of the UK Budget for Scotland, but we need to be clear that the total additional funding made available falls far short of the costs of delivering a significant expansion to our funded childcare offers.
In the Official Report
No contribution in the Official Report cites S6W-17707 by reference.