Aberdeen City Council’s Education Operational Delivery Committee today (Tuesday 14 June) approved a two-year plan for the delivery of the city’s expanded Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) provision.
Councillors agreed the plan which covers 2022-2024 and which is line with the authority’s statutory obligation to deliver a refreshed plan every two years.
The plan follows a review in February this year which highlighted the importance of the expanded programme in terms of benefits for both children and families, and also in helping improve quality of ELC provision and professional learning opportunities across the workforce to continue to successfully drive improvement.
The new plan is informed by feedback from parents and carers on the first year of the Council’s expanded ELC programme and will focus on:
- Workforce Support
- Transition processes
- Community Partnerships
- Family Support
Committee Convener, Councillor Martin Greig, said: “The extension of ELC has been managed well across the city. The new places that have been created are making a real difference to support young people and families. We also have new opportunities such as offering outdoor learning at the early stages. This innovative approach should continue to develop to improve educational experiences.”
Vice convenor, Councillor Jessica Mennie, said: “"The delivery of funded ELC provision is a transformative policy for families across this city. I am pleased that committee has approved the plan for the next two years as it is important that we are continually improving this expanding programme. Delivering high quality childcare is imperative for getting it right for every child, especially for those in their young formative years.
"I have no doubt that families in Aberdeen will be reassured to see that the new plan is informed by the feedback and experiences of parents and carers. Working closely with families will be key for this partnership over the next few years for all aspects of educational delivery."
Since August 2021 all three and four year-olds, and eligible two-year olds receive 1140 hours of funded ELC per year. This means more funded hours, more choice of where children can go to access their ELC entitlement and more flexible models of ELC are available to support families.
The guiding principles for the new plan remain:
- High quality
- Affordability
- Accessibility
- Flexibility