A new campaign has been launched in a bid to promote more “gender-equal play” in nurseries and childcare.The Care Inspectorate – the body which inspects registered childcare providers – said the initiative has been brought in because “childhood and play is becoming more gendered and polarised between girls and boys”.It…

A project to recruit more nursery staff from ethnic minorities has been launched by the Scottish Government.The £140,000 scheme aims to increase the diversity of the early learning and childcare (ELC) workforce while attempting to recruit enough staff to deliver the near-doubling of free childcare.It has been estimated up to…

Two fifths of health visitors fear that they are "so stretched" that avoidable tragedies involving children could occur, a new poll suggests.A new poll of 1,200 health visitors in England found that 43% were concerned tragedies could occur because a vulnerable child would not be identified until it was too…

High earners should have childcare subsidies scrapped to give a boost to low-income families under Universal Credit, the architects of the reforms have said.The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) think-tank, in a joint report with Save the Children, argues the Government's flagship welfare reform should fund 100% of childcare payments…

The capacity of childcare services in Scotland has decreased, prompting renewed fears the Scottish Government will not be able to meet its pledge to expand free nursery provision.It has pledged to increase paid-for nursery places from the current 600 hours to 1,140 for three and four-year olds, and eligible two-year…

More than one in 10 nursery staff say they often hear children swearing, a survey suggests.Thirteen percent of those surveyed said they had seen a general increase in the number of children swearing in nurseries, and 12% highlighted that they often hear children using profanities.The poll was conducted by daynurseries.co.uk…

Increasing the number of hours of free early learning and child care provision will be “absolutely transformative”, Maree Todd has said.Under Scottish Government plans, by August 2020 every three and four-year-old in Scotland, and some two-year-olds, will be eligible for 1,140 funded hours per year.It is an increase on the…

Families on low incomes can apply for a new pregnancy and baby grant from December 10, the Scottish Government has announced.The first payments for the new Best Start Grant will be made before Christmas and eligible applicants will be given £600 to help with their first child.It is £100 more…

Almost a third of nursery nurses and pupil support assistants in Edinburgh do not feel safe at work, according to a survey on violence by unions.The research by Unison and the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) found more than half of nursery nurses and pupil support assistants (50.6%) said they…

Education Secretary Damian Hinds has announced multimillion-pound projects aimed at helping poorer families nurture their child's early development at home.Backed by almost £18 million, they will include funding for extra training for health visitors who work with families to identify speech, language and communication needs in young children.The money will…

A new induction tool to boost the confidence and skills of early years and childcare workers is been launched by Huw Irranca-Davies AM, the Minister for Children, Older People and Social Care. The All Wales Induction Framework for Early Years and Childcare Workers aims to make sure that workers in…

A £50,000 fund has been announced to help boost the number of men working in childcare.Around 4% of the current workforce for children’s daycare across Scotland are men.The Scottish Government’s new Men in Early Years Challenge Fund will be split into two awards of £25,000 and given to two colleges…