In those early years, when little ones are learning all the time, Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) can make a huge difference to families with young children.

Here’s the really good bit - all 3 and 4 year olds, and around a quarter of 2 year olds, can get up to 1140 hours of childcare.

This is free to you, funded by the Scottish Government and local authorities. That works out at about 30 hours a week if you use it during school term-time, or around 22 hours a week if you use it year-round. You can access ELC at nurseries, childminders, or playgroups.

Sheila and her children Chloe and Liam make the most of their free ELC hours. Here’s their story.