There is still time for you to let Aberdeenshire Council know your views about early learning and childcare in Aberdeenshire.
Under the Children’s and Young People’s Act 2014 (Scotland), Aberdeenshire Council has a legal duty to plan and consult with stakeholders.
The survey is for parents and/or carers, professionals in early learning and childcare and any interested parties.
Cllr Gillian Owen, Aberdeenshire Council’s Education and Children’s Services Committee chair, said
I would encourage as many interested parties as possible to complete this survey. We want to listen to as many views as we can to ensure that provision for early learning and childcare meets everyone’s needs as much as possible.
Committee vice chair Cllr Mark Findlater, said
There is plenty of information available on the Aberdeenshire Council website about the expansion of early learning and childcare in Aberdeenshire. I would recommend that you visit the website before completing the survey so that you can give as informed answers to the questions as possible.
The Scottish Government has set out plans to increase the number of funded early learning and childcare hours children across the country can access.
At the moment, all three-and-four-year olds, and some children aged two who meet specific criteria, receive 600 hours of funded early learning and childcare per year. Under the new plans, this will almost double to 1140 hours by August 2020.
This could mean 30 hours of funded childcare per week during term-time or less spread across the year.
The deadline for comments is Friday, July 5. You can have your say by completing the online survey here.
For more information about the expansion of early learning and childcare in Aberdeenshire can be found on the Aberdeenshire Council website.
