Nurseries in West Dunbartonshire will no longer need to be ready to offer extended hours from August.
The deadline for the early years extension programme - which would have seen children eligible for 1140 hours from after the scheduled summer break - has been removed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Building work has been suspended and staff have been diverted elsewhere while the country is in lockdown to reduce the risk of spreading Covid-19.
A joint statement was last night issued by children and young people’s minister Maree Todd and COSLA’s children and young people spokesperson, Councillor Stephen McCabe.
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It read: “In these exceptional circumstances it is not realistic or reasonable to expect that local authorities can deliver their original expansion plans to secure high quality experience for all children in time for August this year.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has made it impossible to continue with the planned recruitment and infrastructure projects required to support expansion.
"As we focus on saving lives and looking after people most vulnerable to the virus the immediate priority is to ensure that we have the emergency childcare in place to support families during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“To support local government with this critical response work, the Scottish Government has now moved to suspend the statutory duty on local authorities to provide 1140 hours of early learning and childcare from this August.”
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It was acknowledged that, across Scotland, authorities were on track to meet the August deadline.
The statement added: “That progress was driven by and a testament to the strong partnership working between central and local government throughout the expansion programme.
"Our commitment to delivering the expansion, and to making sure our children have access to the best support and opportunities for development in their early years, remains undimmed and our partnership working will continue with that aim.”
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