Early years practitioners from across East Dunbartonshire came together in Bearsden recently to discuss plans for the expansion in Early Learning and Childcare which is now less than 12 months away.
From August 2020, all three and four-year-olds, as well as eligible two-year-olds, will receive 1140 hours of funded hours, almost doubling the original allocation of 600 hours.
This expansion is a Scottish Government requirement and is the same for all families regardless of whether their children attend a Council facility, one run by a funded partner or if they use a childminder.
Councillor Jim Goodall, Convener of the Council's Education Committee, spoke at the seminar and said afterwards, "This was a good opportunity for professionals from across the area to talk about where they are with their plans, to be realistic about the challenges they face and discuss any problems they are facing. It was also a chance to share good practice, learn from each other and set achievable yet ambitious targets."
Among the topics discussed on the day were training opportunities, recruitment drives, available grants, outdoor play, provision of hot lunches and staffing models.
Councillor Goodall added, "We have good working relationships with centres in East Dunbartonshire and there are regular meetings which will continue as we move towards providing extra funded hours in August 2020. It is a huge change for the sector and there will be many challenges along the way but we are all getting prepared and working hard together towards that common goal."
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