Published on:
28
November 2023
Staff and children at Menstrie Early Learning and Childcare (ELC)Centre were delighted recently to welcome Minister for Children, Young People and Keeping the Promise, Natalie Don MSP.
The ELC was chosen for the visit earlier this month by the Scottish Government due to its ongoing commitment to family engagement, recovery and innovation before, during and post-Covid.
During the visit, the children invited the Minister to share in their learning experiences.
The Minister joined in the play with children as they created sculptures with and she was impressed to see children's progress with writing and storytelling through a long-term literacy project.
The Minister praised the ELC for organising free flow play to allow access to the outdoors and for making use of the whole community for outdoor learning.
Councillor Graham Lindsay, education spokesperson, said: “I was delighted to be part of the team welcoming the Minister to Menstrie ELC.
“The staff at Menstrie have created a positive and nurturing environment, ensuring the experience for our youngest learners there is not just educational, but fun and exciting.
“This approach, working alongside their partners at our other ELCs, shows we are striving to give our children the very best start to their education journey.”
Scottish Government Children’s Minister Natalie Don said: “Since August 2021, all councils in Scotland have been offering 1,140 hours of high-quality funded early learning and childcare to all eligible children.
“The continued high uptake of the Scottish Government’s expanded childcare provision is positive news – we know high-quality early learning benefits children by supporting their development.
“Seeing this provision in action at Menstrie ELC demonstrates how important this policy is and the difference it makes for children, parents and carers.
“The Scottish Government will continue to work closely with our partners both in local government and in the private, voluntary and childminding sectors to ensure our early learning and childcare offer continues to make that positive difference.”