Mapping the provision of on-site early learning and childcare in further education estates and large public sector employers

No on-site early learning and childcare provision

As mentioned, staff at a relatively small proportion (20%) of the bodies, NHS sites and colleges/universities contacted had access to any on-site ELC provision.

Initial contact indicated that the main reasons for bodies not offering on-site ELC or having a relationship with local ELC providers included:

• They were instead offering access to a childcare voucher scheme.
• Lack of physical space.
• A perceived lack of demand.
• Financial reasons.

An in-depth telephone interview was conducted with two of the bodies (one college and one public sector body) that do not offer on-site ELC.

Of these two organisations not offering on-site ELC or having a relationship with local ELC providers, the key reason given was the lack of space for a nursery and / or that the geographic dispersion of staff means that there is no one suitable location where a nursery could be accessed by staff.

Some of the bodies that do not offer any ELC provision do provide lists of local nurseries to staff to help identify ELC provision. However, none had set up any links with specific ELC providers and none claimed they would be likely to.

How to access background or source data

The data collected for this social research publication:

☐ are available in more detail through Scottish Neighbourhood Statistics

☐ are available via an alternative route

☒ may be made available on request, subject to consideration of legal and ethical factors.

☐ cannot be made available by Scottish Government for further analysis as Scottish Government is not the data controller.