Thousands of Lanarkshire families are saving around £4900 annually thanks to the Scottish Government's funding of Early Learning and Childcare (ELC), according to statistics from the Scottish Government.
The legislation came into effect in August 2021 to make the expanded offer of 1140 hours available across Scotland.
Every council reported an increase of between six per cent and 26 per cent in the number of two to five-year-olds accessing funded ELC compared with August 2021.
New figures show that 111,574 children were funded ELC places at the end of January 2022 – an increase of 20,684 (23 per cent) since August 2021.
Of these, 88 per cent (97,887 children) were taking advantage of the full offer of 1140 hours of funded ELC a year.
The total saving to families from the 1140 hours offer is estimated to be £4900 per child per annum.
The offer is available to all three and four-year-olds and two-year-olds who need it most.
Children’s Minister and Rutherglen MSP Clare Haughey told Lanarkshire Live: "It's fantastic to see so many families accessing funded ELC and making significant savings – particularly at a time when so many are struggling with cost of living increases.
“As well as saving families money, funded ELC brings real benefits for children. Providing access to free, high-quality early learning and childcare enriches children’s early years and provides them with skills and confidence for starting school and beyond. It also supports parents’ ability to work, train or study.”
Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.
And did you know Lanarkshire Live is on Facebook? Head on over and give us a like and share!
