24/08/2026
🌟 SCOTTISH FUNDED EARLY LEARNING & CHILDCARE 🌟
👶 Funded Hours for 2, 3 & 4 Year Olds
Did you know your child may be able to access Scottish funded Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) with a registered childminder?
💷 UP TO 1,140 FUNDED HOURS A YEAR
Children aged 3 and 4 can receive up to 1,140 hours of funded ELC each year.
This can work out at approximately:
30 hours per week during term time
OR
22 hours per week if spread across the whole year
Some 2-year-olds are also eligible, depending on their circumstances, including certain benefits or experience of care.
Funding is provided through your local authority and is free to eligible families.
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❤️ WHY CHOOSE A CHILDMINDER?
🏡 A HOME-FROM-HOME ENVIRONMENT
A smaller, nurturing setting where your child can build secure relationships and feel comfortable and settled.
👩👧👦 CONSISTENT CARE
Your child can spend their funded hours with the same familiar childminder, supporting strong relationships and continuity.
🌳 LEARNING THROUGH EVERYDAY EXPERIENCES
Learning happens through play, outings, nature, baking, messy play, stories, creativity and everyday routines.
⏰ FLEXIBLE OPTIONS
Depending on availability and your local authority arrangements, funded hours can be used with a childminder as part of a full funded placement or a blended childcare arrangement.
Scottish Government information confirms that funded ELC can be accessed through childminders and can be combined with other providers.
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🌈 FULL FUNDED HOURS OR BLENDED CARE?
FULL FUNDED CHILDCARE
Your child can use their funded ELC allocation with the childminder, subject to the childminder being an approved funded provider and having availability.
BLENDED CARE
You can choose to combine your child's funded hours between different ELC providers, for example:
🏡 Childminder + 🏫 Nursery
This can give families greater flexibility while allowing your child to experience different environments.
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☀️ WHAT ABOUT SCHOOL HOLIDAYS?
If you choose to use your funded hours as term-time childcare, your funded hours are used during the school terms.
Childcare required during school holidays is not automatically covered by the funded hours.
If you would like your child to continue attending the childminder during the holidays, holiday childcare can be arranged privately and charged at the childminder's normal rate, subject to availability and your childcare agreement.
💡 For example:
Your child attends using their funded hours during school term time.
During the school holidays, you choose to keep their regular place with the childminder.
➡️ The holiday sessions would be privately paid childcare.
This can help provide your family with continuity of care throughout the year, even when funded term-time hours have been used.
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💕 THE BENEFITS FOR YOUR CHILD
✔️ Familiar surroundings
✔️ Strong, trusting relationships
✔️ Small-group experiences
✔️ Individualised learning and development
✔️ Learning through play
✔️ Outdoor experiences
✔️ Socialising with other children
✔️ Continuity throughout the year
🌟 A CHILDminder CAN OFFER MORE THAN JUST CHILDCARE —
THEY CAN PROVIDE A SAFE, NURTURING PLACE TO LEARN, PLAY & GROW.
📩 Interested in funded or blended childcare?
Please get in touch to discuss your child's individual needs, available spaces and how funded hours could work for your family.
Please note: Eligibility, how funded hours can be used, and available arrangements are subject to your local authority's current ELC funding arrangements.
FIND OUT MORE
"Scottish Government – Funded Early Learning & Childcare" (https://reference-url-citation.invalid/3)
"Scottish Government – Funded ELC for 2 year olds" (https://reference-url-citation.invalid/4)
