OIC delivers on 1,140 early learning and childcare funded hours

Up to 360 children in Orkney will be able to benefit from 1,140 hours of funded early learning and childcare (ELC) from this month (August), with this figure increasing to 460 following the January and April intakes.

The Council’s ELC service has been working hard to deliver the Scottish Government commitment which it is hoped will be viewed as a “transformational” offer to families.

Available to all three and four-year-olds, as well as eligible two-years-olds who need it most, the move will save families childcare costs of around £4,900 per child each year.

Many children in funded ELC already access 1,140 hours but legislation came into effect on 1 August to make the expanded offer available across Scotland.

The expansion from 600 to 1,140 hours of funded ELC was made possible by a close working partnership between the Scottish Government, local authorities and ELC providers across Scotland, underpinned by a landmark multi-year funding agreement.

OIC Service Manager Early Learning and Childcare, Catherine Diamond, said: “Staff have worked incredibly hard to ensure that we could deliver on the Government’s commitment here in all Orkney’s settings, and this has been achieved.

“Over the last few years, in preparation for 1,140 hours we operated a phased increase in hours in our settings. Minor renovations have been carried out at many of our settings to enable this commitment, with Papdale, Dounby, St Andrews and Glaitness having more major works carried out. Recruitment has also been underway increasing staff levels for the last four years to accommodate the increased hours offered.”

One family to benefit are Cheryl and Daniel Gould, from Kirkwall, who have two nursery aged children, Bella, 5, and Freddie, 3, who attend the nursery department at Glaitness School.

Cheryl said: “I first heard about the extra hours in 2019, when Glaitness Nursery informed all the parents. We had always planned to put the kids there this summer as it was the only year we’d be able to do it before Bella started P1, and it was going to mean I could continue to work without having to pay for childminders, which wasn’t economical at the time.

“With two nursery age children it was a fantastic option for us. In hindsight it was a fantastic choice as even though my work had changed during the pandemic and I am now working in the hospital while training to become a driving instructor, we needed the childcare more than ever with Dan working full time on the Beiting and Brew van too.

“The kids missed out on so much social interaction during lockdown and while the schools were closed that they have really benefitted from being back in that environment and we were so glad to have the option to continue their time there throughout the holidays too.”

Bella and Freddie attend Glaitness nursery three full days a week and have continued this during the holidays.

Cheryl continued: “It’s all we needed to cover our childcare. We had originally planned to put Bella four days a week, to prepare her for P1, but with lockdown we changed that so her and Freddie were attending the same, just to keep things simple.

“I think the 1,140 hours is an absolutely brilliant thing for families, especially those with parents who both work full-time as it can be extremely expensive for full-time childcare. These extra hours mean parents are helped out with the juggling act that is childcare while the children get the benefit of extra time with their peers and group leaders catching up on what they’ve missed during lockdown and be even more ready for P1 when the time comes.”

OIC chair of the Education, Leisure and Housing Committee, Councillor Gwenda Shearer said: “I hope these additional hours of funded early learning and childcare will help enrich children’s early years, giving them the skills and confidence for starting school and beyond.

“We know that investing in the earliest years of a child’s life is crucial to a child’s positive development, and has long-lasting impacts on outcomes in health, education, and positive life chances.

“As we have already read here in Cheryl and Daniel’s story, this can enable parents/carers to further develop themselves, whether that be in work, study or volunteering.

“Getting to this point, especially given the challenges of the pandemic, has taken a Herculian effort and I would like to thank the staff involved for ensuring it has been able to happen.”