Rennie urges government to build on new early learning and childcare law

Speaking as a new law comes into effect allowing parents to decide whether to defer their child starting school for a year and securing more funded childcare provision if they choose to do so, Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Willie Rennie MSP has urged the SNP government to build on childcare provision and support nurseries across the country.    

Scottish Liberal Democrats consistently championed calls by the Give Them Time campaign for the Scottish Government to provide a free further year of nursery funding for all children who legally defer their Primary 1 start.    

From August 2023, all children who take up their legal right to defer their start date are automatically entitled to a further year of funded early learning and childcare.    

Mr Rennie said:  

“This law has been a long time in the making. For years, the Scottish Government dragged their heels in bringing it about, leaving a £4,500 price tag hanging over families who wanted to give their children more time before they started school.    

“Thanks to the brilliant efforts of the Give Them Time campaign, parents are now better placed to concentrate on what works for their child, rather than feeling enslaved to their family’s financial situation.  

“The Scottish Government and local authorities must now match those efforts by promoting the availability of this new option to parents and families across the country.  

“Scottish Liberal Democrats have long championed the case of funded childcare for those deferring their school start date. Childcare is foundational for families and the economy as a whole; it can ease the strain of the cost of living on households and allow children to get the best start in life.  

“To that end, our party want an expansion of publicly funded childcare so that people can take on more employment opportunities. This should be backed up by increased support for private and voluntary nurseries, preventing a loss of staff from the sector and giving parents more choice when accessing care.”