Response 748985160

Back to Response listing

Section 1: Funding follows the child

1. What factors should be considered in developing a simple, standardised yet flexible process for becoming a funded provider?

All childcare providers should have the opportunity to become a funded provider. Then parents would have the most choice to where their child attends and receives early years education.

2. What are the key shared principles which should underpin an effective and positive partnership between local authorities and funded providers?

Stability for the children who attend funded providers.

Section 2: National standard for funded early learning and childcare provision

3a. We are proposing that the National Standard includes a qualification requirement for childminders delivering the funded entitlement to be qualified to or working towards the same qualification level as is required for an ELC practitioner (SCQF level 7). What are the advantages of including this criteria?

Please select one item
Yes
No
Don't know
What are the advantages of including this criteria?
Better quality of care and learning
But I hope that it would not reduce the number of childminders. Child minders often offer more flexibility for parents that work shifts and part -time than some nurseries can offer.

3b. Are childminders able to access adequate funding to pay for training to SCQF level 7?

Please select one item
Yes
No
Don't know
Please select one item
Yes
No
Don't know
Please add reasons for your answer.
I don't know but would not want these costs passed on to parents

4. Our aspiration is to see outdoor learning and play becoming a defining feature of funded ELC in Scotland.

Please select one item
Yes
No
Don't know
If not, how could it be strengthened in a way that is sustainable for providers?
It does not specify how much outdoor play and learning is required. This could be interpreted as once per year. Inclusion of words like 'regular' access to outdoor play would improve this.
The quality of outdoor environments varies from nursery to nursery and cost to provide good outdoor environments shouldn't be a factor. Outdoor play areas can be enriched with free recycled goods and parental involvement and volunteering. This would create two other learning opportunities for children.
How can these challenges be overcome?
If there isn't any outdoor play near the current premises- transport to local opportunities could be considered. Ideally green transport, active travel and safe walking routes.
Shared use of local school green spaces and sports play areas.

5a. Will the criteria set out in the draft National Standard ensure that high quality, accessible, flexible and affordable Early Learning Childcare is delivered in all funded provider settings?

Please select one item
Yes
No
Don't know
Please explain your answer.
As a parent, I really don't understand the funded provider system well enough to answer this question.
My view is the place should be funded, not a provider, regardless of where a parent chooses to send their child. Obviously within a cost limited budget.


Please select one item
Yes
No
Don't know
Please explain your answer.
It depends on how well allocations are managed and planned for which should be easy enough to do given Health Visitors have data on just about every child these days. Could health visitors start requesting parents to consider and request nursery options earlier in their child's life which would allow Local Authorities to have a better and earlier idea of parental choice for early childcare? I think if providing so much free care, it's not unreasonable to ask families to start planning early for this to help plan costs and allocations for the future. How are allocations managed for primary and high schools? I assume we should be able to do the same for children at a younger age?

I wanted a full time space for my child in a local rural private partner provider nursery as all of his future village friends and schoolmates would be going there too. I started inquiries when he was only 8 weeks old and we were lucky to receive the last space, probably because we wanted full time hours. Another issue around choice is that we made this choice before understanding how the current allocation system worked. We just assumed we'd receive a budget and could spend it where we had a space as a contribution to those costs. I am currently concerned after completing the application for next year's free hours that he will not be offered hours in this nursery and could be offered a space in another nursery attached to the other village's primary school where our child won't be going. If this we'd known this, we would have considered starting him there in the first place rather than risk a move. If we are not successful in our choice, we would continue to pay ourselves to avoid the move as he is very settled and happy in this nursery. We are lucky that we are in this position but work hard for it and go without life luxuries to offer this to our child. Not everyone would be in the same position as us and wouldn't be able to afford to do this. I don't think we'd have the same view if we had to go without life basics to afford this.

5b. Is there any criteria not included in the National Standard that is required to ensure a high quality service is provided to all children?

Please select one item
Yes
No
Don't know

5c. Do the proposed criteria within the National Standard seem fair and proportionate for all?

Please select one item
Yes
No
Don't know
Please select one item
Yes
No
Don't know

Section 4: Next steps and the transition period to 2020

7. Should newly established ELC settings be able to deliver the funded hours on a probationary basis, pending the outcome of their first inspection, provided they meet all other aspects of the National Standard?

Please select one item
Yes
No
Don't know
Are there any particular challenges or issues that may arise from this approach?
If not allowed, a not for profit nursery or community nursery model setting up to address local needs such as low paid shift work, low skilled job seekers, or flexible workers would need to be able to offer funded hours in order for the customers they are seeking to support to be able to afford to access their service. A new venture like these ones would instead have to seek to attract families that can afford the costs of childcare to fund the start up business plan and sustainability plan that would then allow them to apply to be a partner provider. This would be counter productive to their purpose of being and may deter local social entrepreneurs from developing third sector models of childcare.

8. What support will service providers require to prepare for the introduction of the National Standard and meet the criteria and delivery of the new service model?

Support to manage parental understanding and planning ahead of their early years childcare.

About you

Are you responding as an individual or an organisation?

Please select one item
(Required)
Individual
Organisation