The council was among the first in Scotland to implement 1140 hours of annual funded childcare for eligible children when it delivered the scheme in full to families in August 2020 – one year before it was required nationally.
The benefits of the initiative were showcased today (20 August) at a joint visit to Raploch Nursery by COSLA and the Scottish Government. Education and social work staff from the council joined by Cllr Tony Buchanan, COSLA’s Children and Young People Spokesperson and Natalie Don MSP, Minister for Children, Young People and The Promise.
They met staff and children at the nursery to learn about how the 1140 provision has been rolled out across Stirling, including for eligible two-year-olds, and the positive outcomes for families.
'Good practice and areas for future work'
Part of the visit included a presentation from Stirling’s Champions Board (a group of young people cared for or supported by the council, including those in foster, residential or kinship care) who provided examples of good practice and areas for future work in supporting care experienced young people as part of the council’s corporate parenting responsibilities.
Stirling Council’s Children and Young People Convener, Cllr Margaret Brisley said: “Through a phased approach and by working closely with a range of partners, Stirling Council was one of the early adopters of 1140 hours in Scotland as we wanted to ensure this important benefit was available to families as soon as possible.
“We’re incredibly proud of the high-quality care, learning and support in our nurseries which has again been recognised recently, and we remain committed to ensuring we can give our children the best start in life.
“We were delighted to welcome COSLA and the Scottish Government to Raploch Nursery to see this work at first hand and to give them the opportunity to hear about the outstanding work of our Champions Board, who are crucial for us in upholding The Promise and securing positive outcomes for our care experienced children and young people.”
COSLA’s Children and Young People spokesperson, Cllr Tony Buchanan said: “It was a privilege to visit Raploch Nursey and to meet the staff who have been undertaking great work and the children benefiting from it.
“Raploch Nursey is a great example of the excellent work that is being undertaken across Stirling ensuring all eligible children have access to 1140 hours of funded ELC and that families can benefit from this, in particular their work with eligible 2 year olds.
“It was also fantastic to hear about their Champions Board and their commitment to upholding The Promise, ensuring a positive future for all children and young people who are care experienced.”
'Really heartening'
Minister for Children, Young People and The Promise, Natalie Don said: “It’s been really heartening to see today the excellent work Stirling Council and Raploch Nursery in particular are doing to provide early learning and childcare (ELC) in their communities.
“High quality ELC is critical to giving children the best possible start in life. That’s why we are investing £1 billion this financial year to allow local authorities to provide 1,140 hours a year of high quality funded childcare to all eligible children.”