This article appears as part of the Lessons to Learn newsletter.

Well there we have it: MSPs have given their final speeches of the current Scottish Parliament, formal dissolution happens next week, and the electioneering has begun.

One of the emerging themes of the campaign seems to be childcare, with most parties looking to address what has become an increasingly prominent problem over the last couple of years.

It is only fair to point out that the SNP has improved early learning and childcare (ELC) in Scotland, expanding the number of ‘funded hours’ to 1,140 for all children aged three and four.

But there have been problems. Private providers have accused councils of distributing the funding unfairly, whereas councils have said that the shift towards independent services has put council-run nurseries under threat. Some areas have also changed eligibility rules in ways that cost families thousands of pounds, and the overall costs for some remain cripplingly high.

At the most extreme end of the scale, the reliance on new, for-profit operators, alongside a serious decline in inspection rates, could even be putting some children at risk.

According to John Swinney, the SNP has heard and listened to concerns. Speaking at his party’s recent conference, he said that if re-elected First Minister he will “extend childcare for every child in the country from nine months old to the end of primary school.”

This would be delivered as means-tested support for families (no universalism........

© Herald Scotland