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Tory MSP Michelle Ballantyne calls for more targetting of vulnerable two year olds.

Mr Swinney says the government is tackling the vulnerability those children face.

He says he welcomes the contribution of local authorities, but says the government is addressing the gap between financial estimates between the two.

Mr Swinney says he needs local authorities to embrace child minders and partner providers.

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The public spending watchdog has questioned plans to fund increased nursery provision in Scotland.

Audit Scotland said in a report there was a "significant risk" councils would not be able to resource a planned expansion.

The Scottish government has promised to almost double the annual hours in paid-for nursery places to 1,140.

In response to the report, the government repeated its pledge to fully fund the policy.

Ministers plan to meet the new target for nursery provision by August 2020.

Read more here.

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Education Secretary John Swinney says childcare provision must benefit children but also help their parents back into the workforce.

Labour MSP Iain Gray says Audit Scotland makes the point that outcomes for children are not clear and the priority is not clear.

Mr Swinney says he parts company with Audit Scotland no their analysis, saying Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) is the priority.

He questions Audit Scotland's view that alternative business cases were necessary.

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Labour MSP Mary Fee says: "For the majority nursery hours must be more flexible."

She says Audit Scotland have highlighted the low uptake by vulnerable two year olds.

Ms Fee says her party will back the SNP amendment but accuses them of missing criticims and concerns in the Audit Scotland report and from parents.

She highlights the mismatch of financial estimations between the Scottish government and local government.

Local government must be fully funded to provided childcare, she says.

Council nurseries do not open long enough to support full time working parents, a campaign group has claimed.

Fair Funding For Our Kids said only one in ten council-run centres provides the length of care to cover a full working day.

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The childcare group requested details on nursery opening hours from all of Scotland's 32 local authorities.

Of 1,369 such centres, only 139 are open from 08:00 to 18:00 or longer, the Freedom of Information figures showed.

In East Renfrewshire all 17 of the council-run nurseries were open, with 67% in East Dunbartonshire also operating these hours.

But 19 councils, including City of Edinburgh Council, have no nurseries which are open for business between 08:00 to 18:00.

Read more here.

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SNP MSP Clare Haughey says the motion for today's debate quite rightly calls on the Scottish government to work closely with local authortiies on childcare provision.

Ms Haughey says this Saturday she will offically open the Ace Place nursery in Rutherglen.

Image source, Ace Place

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Tory MSP Liam Kerr says a childcare extension made available to those who need it most should help close the attainment gap and help women back into work, but only if they are accessible.

Mr Kerr says Fair Funding for Our Kids highlighted that council nurseries do not open long enough to support full time working parents.

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There is a growing recognition that what happens in a child's early years can affect their whole life for good or ill.

One charity active in the field - Early Years Scotland - celebrated its half century in September.

So how have ideas changed over that time?

"We know that what happens in the very earliest years, actually from pre-birth, can be a very strong predictor at that stage of what happens much later on," says Jean Carwood-Edwards, chief executive of Early Years Scotland.

She thinks that how we view the early years has really changed and much of that is down to the fact that we know so much more about the way children learn and develop.

That can be apparent by the time they start school.

Read the rest of this article here.

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"The Scottish Conservatives do have a plan and a cunning one at that."

Tory MSP Rachael Hamilton channels her best Blackadder.

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Scotland's Auditor General Caroline Gardner will NOT now be giving evidence to the Public Audit Committee tomorrow morning, the latest parliamentary casualty of the Beast from the East.

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Lib Dem MSP Tavish Scott stresses the scale of the workforce challenge which must be met to deliver the government's childcare targets and he asks for clarity on the issue.

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A scheme to provide up to £2,000 towards the annual cost of childcare was made to Scots working families earlier this month.

The UK Treasury said about 200,000 carers would be eligible for the support, which contributes towards the cost of children up to the age of 12.

The scheme sees the UK government pay £2 into a childcare account for every £8 paid in by parents.

The new scheme will replace employer-supported childcare, including "childcare vouchers", which are currently only available to parents if their employer offers it.

Read more here.

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Green MSP Alison Johnstone says: "The expansion of childcare is hugely welcome but only when it is high quality."