Organisations from Shetland to Shettleston announced as successful applicants to Access to Childcare Fund
11 September 2020
Fifteen childcare providers from across Scotland have been announced as the successful applicants to the Access to Childcare Fund.
The fund, launched in July, is one feature of the Scottish Government’s Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan which focuses on tackling and reducing levels of child poverty in Scotland.
It recognises that the cost and availability of school age childcare round about the school day and during the holidays is often prohibitive for low income families and can limit opportunities for parents to work, train and learn.
The Fund aims to make childcare more accessible and affordable, particularly for children and families most affected by low incomes – unlocking improvements for both parents and their children.
The organisations will be supported by a total of £3 million by March 2022, and have committed to testing a range of approaches to increasing the availability and accessibility of their services and working together to share their learning across the range of children’s services.
The successful applicant organisations include Action for Children, which will be operating in Elgin; Flexible Childcare Services Scotland, offering provision in Dundee (Fintry) and Fraserburgh; Hame fae Hame Shetland; Inverclyde Council; Edinburgh’s Muirhouse Millennium Centre; SHIP, in Perth; and Wee Childcare, which is based in Angus (Kirriemuir).
In the Glasgow area, Stepping Stones (Possilpark); Indigo Childcare (Castlemilk); St Mirin’s Out of School Club; and Hope Amplified, which serves African families in the city, have all been successful.
Clyde Gateway’s provision, based in South Lanarkshire, and supERkids (East Renfrewshire), will also be receiving funds.
Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell said:
“I’m pleased that we are supporting these innovative projects to make childcare more accessible and affordable for low income families.
“School age childcare is critical to enabling parents to enter and progress in employment, education or training – helping to increase household incomes.
“However, it is equally important for children themselves, with high quality childcare offering further opportunities to grow, learn and play. These projects, and the models they establish, will help shape the future of school age childcare in Scotland and progress our ambitions to eradicate child poverty.”
Children in Scotland CEO Jackie Brock said:
“The successful applicants to the Fund demonstrate the depth, quality and innovation of childcare provision across Scotland in 2020. These organisations have all seized the opportunity to test and adapt their services for the benefit of the children and families in their communities.
“Most importantly, the childcare provision that will be backed by this funding has a strong focus on supporting families who are often the most excluded from the benefit of high quality out of school and holiday services. This needs to change and the learning from the Fund could contribute to every child benefitting from such services.”
The successful organisations are:
Flexible Childcare Services Scotland (funded in two locations)
The Wee Childcare Company
The Access to Childcare Fund is funded by the Scottish Government and managed by Children in Scotland.
(ends)
Media contact:
Chris Small, csmall@childreninscotland.org.uk
Notes for editors
Click here to read our news release about the launch of the fund
About Children in Scotland
Giving all children in Scotland an equal chance to flourish is at the heart of everything we do.
By bringing together a network of people working with and for children, alongside children and young people themselves, we offer a broad, balanced and independent voice. We create solutions, provide support and develop positive change across all areas affecting children in Scotland.
We do this by listening, gathering evidence, and applying and sharing our learning, while always working to uphold children’s rights. Our range of knowledge and expertise means we can provide trusted support on issues as diverse as the people we work with and the varied lives of children and families in Scotland.
For more information, click here to visit www.childreninscotland.org.uk
Unlocking routes to affordable childcare
Launched in July, the fund is a key feature of the Child Poverty Deliver Plan
Click to find out more
Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan
The new fund addresses one of the actions highlighted in Every Child, Every Chance
Click to find out more
Out of School Care
The fund complements the Scottish Government’s draft Out of School Framework
Click to find out more
"Another generation can't go through this"
Earlier this year we commented on new child poverty statistics
Click to find out more
CHANGE
Our CHANGE project is working to develop a new and sustainable model for childcare in the East of Glasgow
Click to find out more