A total of 300 council staff are being hired and 26 nursery refurbishments carried out to get ready for a huge childcare expansion.
Three new nurseries at Kilmaurs and Stewarton’s Nether Robertland and Netherthird are due to open after the spring break next year.
East Ayrshire will offer tots double nursery hours from August 2020 as part of a Scottish Government pledge.
That is a rise to 1140 hours per year for all three and four-year-olds and eligible two-year-olds.
Councillors at a cabinet meeting were presented with a paper on how preparations are going.
Another 105 employees have yet to be recruited to cope with the extra workload.
Ninety-three early learning centre practitioners have already been hired and 42 existing council employees are retraining to work in nurseries.
Council leader Douglas Reid said: “It is an ambitious paper and matches the ambition of our authority.”
Early learning centres already lined up to provide the extra childcare by the end of June this year include Bellsbank, Hurlford, James Hamilton, Littlemill, New Cumnock, Newmilns, Riccarton, Whatriggs, Burns Bairns and Hurlford and Crookedholm early learning and childcare service.
Councillor Gordon Jenkins (Annick) said: “It is a really good paper and gives me great confidence that we are going to get there in the end. There are bound to be bumps along the way.”
Fellow Annick councillor John McGhee added: “There is a huge amount of work going on here. It is an excellent paper.”
The council hopes another 12 of its early childhood centres and two external nurseries will be ready for the extra hours by the end of March 2020. They are Auchinleck, Catrine, Crosshouse, Hillbank, Galston, Mauchline, Muirkirk, Shortlees, St Andrews, Beechwood House nursery and Dean Park nursery.
A number of other nurseries will have to wait to deliver the additional service from April 2020.
They are early childhood centres at Cairns, Cherrytrees, Dalmellington, Dalrymple, Darvel, Dunlop, Drongan, Fenwick, Flowerbank, Gargieston, Lainshaw, Loanhead, Logan, Onthank, Patna and Sgoil-araich na Coille Nuaidh.
Councillors approved the officer recommendations.
