A recent report to West Dunbartonshire Council’s educational services committee has highlighted improvements in early years education across the area’s early learning and childcare centres (ELCCs). The report shows that 60% of children achieved the benchmark in literacy by the end of this June, up 4% from the previous year. In numeracy, 39% of children reached the benchmark in June, a 5% rise from 2024 and above the council’s target of 32–36%. The service has also supported 25 modern apprentices in council-run early learning centres, with 21 achieving a Scottish Vocational Qualification (SVQ) Level 3 and securing employment within the centres. “It is also great to see how the service has supported individuals to retrain in childcare and the number of modern apprenticeships supported in our centres.”