3 to 5 curriculum
The early years of children's lives are ones of rapid growth and development when they learn within their family and through contact with relatives, friends and neighbours.
They also learn if they attend early education. Every child in Scotland aged three and four is entitled to free, pre-school education. This is funded by the Executive and provided by local authorities, either in their own nursery schools and classes or in partner settings such as private nurseries and playgroups.
A 3 to 5 curriculum has been developed to give children in pre-school education a range of learning experiences. The curriculum aims to promote children's development and learning in:
- emotional, personal and social development
- communication and language
- knowledge and understanding of the world
- expressive and aesthetic development
- physical development and movement.
See Learning and Teaching Scotland's A Curriculum Framework for Children 3 to 5 for more information.
For more detailed information on the early years of children's lives see the Early Education and Childcare pages on this website.