The 1140 hours expansion of Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) will start in August this year. This follows a year long delay caused by the pandemic. ELC will continue to be delivered in the public, private and third sectors. Childminders will also be able to deliver this service. Half of authorities are already offering 1140 free at the point of use.
The funding “follows the child” so the balance between sectors will vary across authorities. This is one of the few areas in local government with increased funding. Further guidance on COVID mitigations if Scotland moves current levels is not yet available.
Across all sectors there are still shortages of qualified staff. This is putting pressure on remaining staff. Staff are also being redeployed or asked to change working patterns. For more detail click on the briefing.