Nurseries will be created in Buckie and Keith and existing ones refurbished as part of Moray Council’s £17.5 million expansion of Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) in the area.
A delivery plan announced on Thursday sets out how the local authority will deal with the Scottish Government’s scheme to offer 1,140 hours of free childcare to children aged three to four and eligible two year olds, an increase on the 600 hours currently offered.
Funded by the Scottish Government and with a deadline of 2020 for the plan to be rolled out across Scotland, the council are proposing a significant change in regards to flexibility of hours, with parents being able to use the hours of 8am to 6pm in school nurseries.
The first phase will be introduced at the start of the new school term, in August, with postcodes in Buckie, Elgin, Forres and Lhanbryde being offered the increased hours first.
Graham Jarvis, Acting Corporate Director of Education and Social Care said he was very excited about the expansion.
“This gives us the opportunity to really modernise our delivery of early learning and childcare,” he said.
“We, and the Scottish Government, recognise that affordable childcare is a barrier to many parents being able to get back to work or further education, so providing a more flexible service can alleviate some of the strain on family budgets while ensuring that our youngest learners are gaining confidence and skills to prepare them for their future.”
The Scottish Government’s vision for ELC is to deliver quality, flexible, accessible and affordable childcare to all parents, with Moray Council echoing these sentiments inside their plan:
“Our early learning and childcare settings support and nurture our children and their families, at a time and in a place that best meets their needs, giving all children the best possible opportunity to achieve their potential.”
The full plan can be found on Moray Council’s website.