Angus Early Learning and Childcare (ELC)

When considering what works best for you and your family, you can choose the pattern of funded ELC that will suit your family life from the various options available.

Angus Council ELC settings offer three models.

Model 1

190 days of 6 hours of ELC per day. (30 hours per typical week)

(Example opening times 8:45am to 2:45pm)

This option is term time and the same as primary school terms. Settings will close during school holidays and on in-service days.

Model 2

152 days of 7.5 hours ELC per day (30 hours per typical week)

(Example opening times 8:30am to 4pm)

This option is also term time but offers more hours over four days each week. Settings will be closed one day per week, as well as school holidays and in‑service days.

Model 3

Up to 228 days and 5 x 5 hour sessions per week. These sessions can be taken in the morning, afternoon or over a full day up to a maximum of 25 hours.

(25 hours per typical week, with a daily maximum of 10 hours)

(Example opening times 8am to 1pm and 1pm to 6pm)

This is an option in some council ELC settings that open for longer hours every day and are only closed to children for two weeks over the Christmas/New Year period, three weeks in July/August, and a further three public holidays and five in-service days.

Further options

Most private nurseries offer funded ELC over 50 weeks of the year at an average of 22.8 hours per week, and many offer other flexible options too. Childminder settings tend to offer funded ELC over 47 weeks of the year, closing for the other five weeks. They often coordinate their leave plans with parents and carers. Playgroups mainly offer funded ELC over term time but may be more flexible with start and finish times than you would find in an Angus Council setting.

If you would like to access the funded ELC more flexibly, please discuss your specific needs with a private nursery, playgroup or childminder.

More options, more flexibility

It may be that none of these options exactly meets your family’s needs. There are many ways you can arrange your child's funded ELC and your child can access ELC from more than one provider.

You can choose an Angus Council ELC setting, a private nursery, a playgroup, a childminder, or a combination of these, to find the option that works best for you. Remember, it doesn’t have to be a place in an Angus Council ELC setting and it does not have to be within Angus.

Once you’ve decided what best suits your family, you should contact your chosen ELC setting(s) to discuss the options available before applying for either a place for a three or four-year-old or a place for a two-year-old.

If your child has significant additional support needs, their place within an ELC setting will be discussed, with your consent, at a multi-agency meeting.