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Publication - Research and analysis

Early learning and childcare - sustainable rates for funded providers: overview 2023 to 2024

Published
9 February 2024
From
Minister for Children, Young People and The Promise, +2 more … Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, Director for Children and Families
Directorate
Children and Families Directorate, +1 more … Early Learning and Childcare Directorate
Part of
Children and families, Education
ISBN
9781835219461

Sets out information provided by local authorities on the sustainable rates they have set for providers in the private, third and childminding sectors to deliver funded ELC in line with guidance published for setting these sustainable rates.

View supporting documents Supporting documents

Annex B

Summary of Funding Arrangements for Delivery of Free Meals

  • Table B1 sets out information provided by local authorities on the payments made to funded providers in the private, third and childminding sectors to deliver the free meal commitment for those children receiving funded ELC in 2023-24.
  • Funding to deliver this commitment is additional to the sustainable rate and local authorities must ensure that they are transparent as to the funding being provided to private, third and childminding sector providers for the delivery of the free meal commitment.
  • Local authorities may fund the free meal commitment by providing funding as a separate payment per meal, or as a 'top-up' to the sustainable rate.
  • Local authorities may alternatively meet the free meal commitment by providing appropriate meals directly from in-house catering.
  • The Scottish Milk and Healthy Snack Scheme offers funding for a daily portion of plain fresh cow's milk (or specified alternative) and a healthy snack (fresh fruit or vegetables) for pre-school children spending 2 hours or more in the care of a regulated day care provider and/or childminder that has registered for the Scheme.
  • The payments for the Scottish Milk and Healthy Snack Scheme are delivered separately from the free meal delivery.
  • Where local authorities have provided additional information on the payments of the Scottish Milk and Healthy Snack Scheme, this has been included in Annex B.
Table B1: Overview of funding for settings delivering free meals to children receiving funded ELC in 2023-24

Local Authority

Funding to deliver the free meal commitment

Aberdeen City
  • £2.75 per meal (no change since 2022-23).

Aberdeenshire
  • £2.75 per meal (up from £2.50 in 2022-23).
  • For those funded providers that either don't have the catering facilities or the ability to produce meals (i.e., don't have economies of scale to be able to afford paying a cook), Aberdeenshire Council's catering service produce the meals for the providers.
  • Up to a maximum of five [5] or six [6] meals per week per funded child depending on whether the child's scheduled pattern of care is spread over the minimum 38 weeks (allowing for two meals per 10 hours day and up to six meals per week) or 39 or more weeks (allowing for two meals per 10 hours day and up to five meals per week) per year.

Angus
  • £3.00 per meal (no change since 2022-23).
  • Stopped paying the £0.10 top-up per hour for snacks in 2023-24 compared to 2022-23.
  • Up to a maximum of five [5] or six [6] meals per week per funded child depending on whether the child's scheduled pattern of care is spread over the minimum 38 weeks (allowing for two meals per 10 hours day and up to six meals per week) or 39 or more weeks (allowing for two meals per 10 hours day and up to five meals per week) per year.

Argyll and Bute
  • £4.23 per meal (up from £3.11 in 2022-23).

Clackmannanshire
  • £0.50 top-up to the hourly rate for private nurseries (changed from a set payment per meal of £3.00 in 2022-23).
  • £3.00 per meal for Childminders (no change since 2022-23).

Dumfries and Galloway
  • £3.00 per meal (no change since 2022-23).
  • Providers can choose to have a payment per meal or have meals provided directly to them from the local authority. More providers are choosing the latter option.

Dundee City
  • £2.10 per meal (no change since 2022-23).

East Ayrshire
  • £3.00 per meal (no change since 2022-23).
  • 2 out of the 7 funded providers are sited close to a primary school and therefore have opted to receive meals direct from the Council's catering service.

East Dunbartonshire
  • £0.50 top-up to the hourly rate (no change since 2022-23).
  • There are 3 Funded Provider establishments who do not have facilities to make lunch within their premises. In those circumstances, the Council provides lunches for those settings.

East Lothian
  • £0.35 top-up to the hourly rate (no change since 2022-23).

East Renfrewshire
  • £0.57 top-up to the hourly rate (up to a maximum of £3.42 per day depending on attendance patterns) (up from £0.50/£3.00 maximum per day in 2022-23)

Edinburgh
  • £3.10 per meal (no change since 2022-23).

Eilean Siar
  • £2.00 per meal (no change since 2022-23).

Falkirk
  • £0.40 top-up to the hourly rate for PVI nurseries (up from £0.37 top-up in 2022-23).
  • £1.95 per meal for Childminders (up from £1.90 per meal in 2022-23).

Fife
  • £0.40 top-up to the hourly rate (no change since 2022-23).

Glasgow City
  • £3.00 per meal (no change since 2022-23).

Highland
  • £3.00 per meal (no change since 2022-23).

Inverclyde
  • £0.50 top-up to the hourly rate (up to a maximum of £3.00 per day, five times a week) (no change since 2022-23).

Midlothian
  • £0.40 top-up to the hourly rate (no change since 2022-23).
  • Meals funding is included in the hourly sustainable rate and is not a separate payment (to note: the rate reported in Annex A does not include the meal payment).

Moray
  • £2.35 per meal (no change since 2022-23).

North Ayrshire
  • £3.00 per meal for PVI providers (no change since 2022-23).
  • Nurseries can choose to be paid the meal rate or have the meals delivered by North Ayrshire Council facilities.
  • £2.50 per meal for Childminders (no change since 2022-23).

North Lanarkshire
  • £3.00 per meal (no change since 2022-23).

Orkney Islands
  • £2.40 per meal (no change since 2022-23).

Perth and Kinross
  • £2.80 per meal (no change since 2022-23).
  • Funded Provider ELC settings also receive a 20p set payment for snack on top of the meal payment and Scottish Milk and Healthy Snack Scheme funding entitlement.

Renfrewshire
  • £3.00 per meal (no change since 2022-23).

Scottish Borders
  • £2.40 per meal (no change since 2022-23).
  • Additional payment of 10p per child per day to assist with the cost of a 2nd snack for the children. This payment is made to all funded children whether they attend LA, PVI or childminder.

Shetland Islands
  • £2.16 per meal (up from £1.99 in 2022-23).

South Ayrshire
  • £3.11 per meal (up from £2.87 in 2022-23).

South Lanarkshire
  • £0.50 top-up to the hourly rate (no change since 2022-23).
  • Scottish Milk and Healthy Snack Scheme funding continues to support the provision of milk and healthy snack this year providing additional support to all early learning and childcare establishments, including local authority.

Stirling
  • £0.40 top-up to the hourly rate (up from £0.35 top up for 3-5yo in 2022-23, no change for 2yo rate).
  • Alternatively, there is the option to have a Stirling Council lunch delivered to the setting.

West Dunbartonshire
  • £3.00 per meal (no change since 2022-23).

West Lothian
  • £0.30 top-up to the hourly rate for the meal (no change since 2022-23).
  • Scottish Milk and Healthy Snack Scheme funding continues to support the provision of milk and healthy snack.

Contact

Email: elcpartnershipforum@gov.scot

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