SMHSS Information
The Scottish Milk and Healthy Snack Scheme (SMHSS) aims to improve children’s health and wellbeing by establishing healthy eating habits including regular consumption of quality dairy produce or non-dairy alternatives from an early age. It is intended that these habits will be taken forward into adolescence and throughout adult life.
Registration/Renewal for the period 1 April 2024 to 31 July 2024 is now open. Further guidance can be accessed within the Registration/Renewal process section below.
On this page, you will find information on:
- Eligibility - Childcare settings
- Eligibility - Children
- What will each child be entitled to receive?
- How will it work?
- Registration/Renewal process
- Monitoring and reporting
- Payment Amounts
- Contact Us
Eligibility - Childcare settings
All Care Inspectorate registered settings, i.e. local authority, private, voluntary, independent (PVI) and childminders may register for the Scheme where they:
- provide pre-school care to children for 2 hours or more per day
- are registered with the Care Inspectorate.
You do not need to be commissioned by East Dunbartonshire Council (EDC) to deliver funded Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) to receive payment under this scheme.
Eligibility - Children
Preschool children i.e. aged from birth to starting primary one, who attend regulated childcare settings which have registered with their local authority to be part of the SMHSS, will be eligible to receive the offered benefits.
What will each child be entitled to receive?
The SMHSS will fund a daily portion of milk (or approved non dairy alternative) and healthy snack (fruit or vegetables) for children who spend 2 hours or more in your childcare setting.
- 189 ml of first infant formula for children under 12 months
- 189mls (1/3 pint) - or a 200ml container- of plain fresh cow’s milk (whole milk for children 1 year and over, including the option of semi-skimmed milk for children 2 years and over)
- or, where children cannot consume cow’s milk for medical, ethical or religious reasons, plain fresh goat or sheep milk (whole milk for children 1 year and over or to include semi- skimmed milk for children 2 years)
- or where children cannot consume cow's milk, goat's milk and sheep's milk for medical, ethical or religious reasons a specified unsweetened calcium-enriched non-dairy alternative
- AND a healthy snack portion (fruit or vegetables) per child per day
How will it work?
The Scottish Government will provide funding to local authorities to administer and deliver the SMHSS.
All Care Inspectorate registered settings (local authority, private, voluntary, independent (PVI) and childminders) wishing to participate must register with their local authority (in which the setting is located).
Registration/Renewal process
Registration/renewal is now open and closes on Friday 22nd March 2024 for the scheme running from 1 April 2024 to 31 July 2024. All providers currently on the scheme will be contacted by the Council’s SMHSS Admin Team with information on how to apply.
New providers are able to register now to be part of the scheme using the online form below.
Before you begin the registration process, please ensure you have as much information as possible to hand in relation to your setting. The registration process involves answering a number of questions about the specific time period. Please also ensure you have a copy of your setting's Certificate of Registration issued by Social Work Improvement Scotland (Care Inspectorate) ready to attach to the form.
Payment is calculated based on your setting’s average anticipated servings. Whilst there is an example within the application form of how to calculate this information, a spreadsheet has been devised to assist settings calculate this information more easily. You can find the spreadsheet at the end of this page.
Following successful registration, we will contact all childcare settings by email with the next steps that must be taken to allow payment to be made.
The data provided will be used to base the number of servings of milk and snacks your childcare setting would expect to provide within the set period and therefore inform the payment amount.
Your registration form must be completed and returned to us by close of business Friday 22nd March 2024, to start receiving payment for the period 1 April 2024 to 31 July 2024.
If you have any questions, please contact SMHSSenquiries@eastdunbarton.gov.uk(link sends e-mail) for further guidance.
Monitoring and reporting
If any circumstances change EDC request that they are notified in writing within 4 weeks of the change occurring.
An example could be a change in enrolment levels +/- 10% of the stated enrolment at registration. Childcare settings must inform EDC if circumstances change significantly within 4 weeks of the change occurring.
Where the changes would result in a need for additional funding, the local authority will advise on options for adjusting the payments. The SMHSS is subject to audit therefore you will be required to keep proof of purchases.
Payment Amounts
For the period 1st April 2024 - 31st July 2024 the Scottish Government agreed a National Serving Rate of 58.2p per Serving
Contact Us
If you have any questions about SMHSS you can email SMHSSenquiries@eastdunbarton.gov.uk
For further information about the scheme, please visit the Scottish Government website.(link is external)
View our FAQs page for any other questions.