Parents and carers of children attending early years classes urged to take survey
Posted on 4 Jan 2024
Parents and carers of children attending early years classes are being urged to make their voices heard.
North Ayrshire Council is to reshape its delivery of early years education to help better meet the needs of its young people and families.
Like many other parts of the country, falling birth rates in North Ayrshire mean there is likely to be less uptake of places in the coming years.
This means changes are required to ensure children continue to get the best possible start in life.
Parents and carers are being encouraged to take part in a survey on the proposed redesign of the service, which will take into account current rates of uptake and preferred models of provision.
You can take part in the survey online, which runs until January 26.
Councillor Shaun Macaulay, Cabinet Member for Education and Young People, said: “I would encourage as many parents and carers as possible to take part in the survey as it will play a vital role in shaping the future of our early learning and childcare.
“The introduction of 1140 hours of free early learning and childcare in 2020 has made an enormous difference to the lives of many families.
“While the uptake of 1140 hours has been positive, declining birth rates in North Ayrshire will continue to impact the level of uptake so we have to look at the best way forward to ensure children continue to get the very best in early years education.
“It’s hugely important that parents and carers take part and share their thoughts.”
The aim of the review will be to redesign early years service provision to meet current and anticipated levels of demand and this is likely to include new delivery models in line with current and projected demand.
It is anticipated that the redesigned models will be implemented from the new academic session in August 2024.