Cost of early learning and childcare provision in partner provider settings

Appendix B: Advanced letter

Reference: 16-012784-01 / [ ID NUMBER]

June 2016

Your chance to influence Scottish Government childcare policy

Dear [NAME],

We are writing to invite you to take part in an important survey for the Scottish Government about the costs of providing early learning and childcare.

Why should I take part?

As you may know, the Scottish Government is planning to increase the number of hours of free Early Learning and Childcare ( ELC) that parents are entitled to. This survey is your chance to influence the Scottish Government on childcare provider costs. The Scottish Government will use the findings from this survey to plan in detail for the expansion of free hours and for the important role that partner providers will play in that.

The survey is important for you and for the future of early learning and childcare in Scotland. It is endorsed by National Day Nursery Association and Early Years Scotland. All partner providers in Scotland are being asked to take part - the more people who respond, the more accurate a picture we will be able to provide.

What will I be asked?

The questionnaire includes questions about your costs (the money you spend on things like staff, rent, bills etc.), your income, your capacity and occupancy, and the fees you charge parents at [PROVIDER NAME]. This information will ensure the Scottish Government has a reliable and full understanding of the costs to providers of delivering early learning and childcare.

How do I take part?

Taking part is easy - all you need to do is enter this link www.ipsos-mori.com/childcare in your web browser and enter you unique ID when prompted. Your unique ID is [REFERENCE]

You may find it helpful to have relevant information - e.g. annual accounts - to hand when you complete the survey. If you require another member of your team to complete parts of the survey, you will be able to pause the survey and go back to it later. If you are part of a group of nurseries and it would be easier to complete the survey for one or more nurseries together, you will be able to do this - just go in through the link above and it will explain what to do.

How will my answers be used?

Individual responses will be completely confidential and will not be seen by anybody outside of Ipsos MORI. Only aggregate results - e.g. at regional level - will be provided to Scottish Government or published.

Please be assured that the survey is being hosted by Ipsos MORI, and all responses to this survey will only be processed by us and stored securely by us. Scottish Government will not have access to individual survey responses. Ipsos MORI is bound by the Data Protection Act and strictly adheres to the Market Research Society's Code of Conduct.

Any questions?

If you have any questions or would like any further information regarding the survey please do not hesitate to contact the research team (Rachel Ormston, Chris Martin or Sanah Saeed Zubairi) at Ipsos MORI on 0808 238 5376 or the Project Manager at the Scottish Government, Sasha Maguire 0131 244 0563. You can also e-mail us at ScotCCSurvey@ipsos.com.

Yours sincerely,

Rachel Ormston
(Project Manager)