'THE Scottish Government’s Baby Box scheme has now been rolled out across the country after a successful pilot period and since August 15 all children born in Scotland have been entitled to this wonderful starter pack containing a range of items that will ensure that every child born in Scotland gets the right start in life.

But that is not the only way in which Scotland’s Baby Box Bairns are benefitting.

Recipients of Scotland’s Baby Box will be among the first to benefit from a doubling of free early learning and childcare in Scotland.

The Baby Box generation will also benefit from:

· A new Early Years’ Grant for low income families - delivering £300 birth payments for all children and additional payments of £250 at key transition points in the early years.

· Access to affordable and nutritious food through the Healthy Start Voucher scheme for low income families.

· The expanded Family Nurse Partnership programme

· 500 more health visitors by the end of next year

Scotland’s Baby Box is giving children the best possible start in life, and we are committed to doing all we can to make sure Scotland is the best place for a child to grow up.

Our commitment to almost doubling entitlement to free early learning and childcare hours will benefit all Scotland’s children and ensure they can grow and develop in the very best environments. It will also benefit families by allowing parents to go back to work or further study.

The importance of early years development simply cannot be overstated, which is why the Scottish government is putting so much emphasis on doing all it can to improve the life chances of youngsters across Scotland.

In doing so, we want to help close the gap which sees too many young people from disadvantaged backgrounds lag behind others when it comes to health, educational achievement and employment.

This is about laying the foundations for future generations, with the aim of helping to deliver a healthier, fairer and more successful country.'