Opinion

Opinion: In my view - Start with the buildings

Everyone agrees that children deserve the best possible start in life, and that our nursery provision should reflect the critical importance of the early years in shaping young lives. Yet it's a sad fact that in today's Scotland, the quality of provision depends on where you live.

Too often we hear of nurseries run in ramshackle buildings or spare office blocks in industrial estates - removed from normal society, impersonal, uninspiring and unsuitable. It's hard to imagine how children could feel relaxed or happy in such places.

I believe it is time to launch an initiative to engage with all stakeholders, including the Care Commission, local authorities, parents and private sector providers, to seek ways to raise building standards. By harnessing council planning departments to take a strategic role in the location and standards of nursery properties, and by setting minimum criteria for the physical environment of our nurseries, we can deliver care fit for the 21st century.

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