The private, voluntary, and independent sector (PVI) delivered 61% of one-year-old places and 67% of two-year-old places in total across the country

The Scottish Government has published its research mapping for early learning and childcare (ELC) places for one and two year olds which shows how vital the private and voluntary sector is for the youngest children.

The mapping showed that the private, voluntary, and independent sector (PVI) delivered 61% of one-year-old places and 67% of two-year-old places in total across the country.

This compares with local authority provision delivering 5% of places for one-year-olds and 29% of two-year-old places.

Out of 29 local authorities involved, 19 said that they had gaps in their provision for one and two year olds and these gaps were more pronounced in rural and island areas.

The main reasons for these gaps were given as a lack of staff, capacity, higher demand, facility changes, and additions to meet children’s needs.

And challenges included a need for more staff training for local authority settings and more experienced staff, infrastructure, and facility changes.

The whole sector, including PVI settings, said that recruiting and retaining staff was a big issue.

In order to deliver the childcare expansion to one and two year olds, the report concluded that there must be an increase in the capacity of the whole ELC sector; increased staff training and tailored learning pathways; and inclusion of all types of provision, especially attachment-led models.

The expansion would have to proceed slowly, the report adds.

Jane Malcolm, National Day Nurseries Association Scotland’s national operations manager, said: “It’s clear from this report how important the private, voluntary, and independent nursery sector is in delivering high-quality places to under threes across Scotland.

“PVI providers are going to be vital partners in the forthcoming childcare expansion and must be supported appropriately.

“The Government and local authorities must utilise the capacity, experience, and skills of the PVI sector in order to make this expansion a success.

“Money for increasing local authority infrastructure for the expansion should only be spent where there is no current PVI provision.

“It would be detrimental if provision is duplicated at a time of squeezed public spending, potentially putting PVI settings out of business.

“The PVI sector must also be fully supported to deliver the expansion with funding rates that cover their costs and enable them to pay attractive wages to their staff.

“PVI settings lose significant numbers of their experienced and skilled staff to the maintained sector and they must be supported to be able to recruit and retain staff.”