Differential rates between local authority settings and private providers, difficulties in paying the Real Living Wage, and high turnover of staff in private and voluntary settings, were key issues revealed in the Scottish Government’s review of ELC.
The Scottish Government has published its review of early learning and childcare (ELC) sustainable rates for childcare providers.
The review’s objective was ‘to learn lessons from the implementation of policy in 2022-23, to identify where the process can be improved further, and to ensure that sustainable rates are set in-line with the guidance’, the Scottish Government said.
Sustainable rates had increased by an average of 57.6 per cent since the expansion to 1140 funded hours, and in 2022-23 were at a higher average rate than anywhere else in the UK, the review found. Overall, capacity across the whole sector was sustained during delivery of a near doubling in hours.
