Early-years carers have the fewest qualifications and lowest pay in the childcare sector, a Scottish Government-commissioned review has found.

These carers look after children at the most important developmental stage of their lives and should be paid at least the living wage and have appropriate qualifications, the Independent Review of the Scottish Early Learning and Childcare Workforce and Out of School Care Workforce has recommended.

But many care providers are paying little more than the minimum wage and the number of qualified early-years teachers is decreasing, the report by internationally-renowned early-years expert Professor Iram Siraj found.

Ms Siraj has outlined a 15-year vision to reform Scotland's childcare workforce, but union Unison has said Scotland's children cannot wait 15 years and urgent reform is needed now.

Education Secretary Angela Constance has earmarked £1 million to implement some of the review's recommendations.

National childcare agency Children in Scotland told the review: "A child's earliest years see the most rapid development in the human brain than at any other period in the life course, but that a child's experiences during this critical period influence, for good or ill, the course of her or his future life.

"We, therefore, consider that it is an anomaly that those who work with children at this critical and formative stage generally have the lowest level of qualification and the worst pay and conditions in the children and young people's workforce."

Scotland's out-of-school care sector is "slightly more diverse" than England, with more men, disabled workers and ethnic minorities, but "the largest proportion of the workforce is female, most work is part-time and low-paid, with many supplementing their income with another job", the report found.

Poor pay and training has been a constant feature of early-years childcare, with the National Research Council concluding in 2001 that there was "a serious mismatch between the preparation and compensation of the average early childhood professional and the growing expectations of parents and policy makers."

Today's report said: "Despite the upskilling of the workforce, unequal rates of pay remain within early learning and childcare - with the largest inequalities in the private and third sector.

"Low wages and high expectations are also found in the out-of-school care sector."

Poor pay and training was more prevalent in the private sector and the report found a migration of carers to public-sector work following the Scottish Government's decision to increase free childcare for three and four-year-olds.

The report recommended: "If children's outcomes are to be supported and enhanced, it is important to ensure that there are highly-qualified and knowledgeable practitioners in all ELC settings who lead learning and sensitively support families in developing a stimulating home learning environment.

"Every strong profession has good initial, graduate entry route(s). More new and creative, initial graduate degrees designed for practitioners leading learning in ELC should be developed.

"This could arrest the decline in numbers of teachers working face-to-face with young children, and should not threaten the work-based childhood practice degree programme or discourage further and higher educational institutions from offering their initial degree programmes to work-based practitioners through more creative, flexible delivery options."

It also recommended: "All practitioners should receive the living wage, or above, rather than the minimum wage."

Ms Constance said: "The early years are a crucial point in a child's development, therefore it is vital that we invest in those tasked with caring for and educating our young children.

"By boosting skills and recognising the value of the early-years workforce, we will attract the brightest and best to the sector.

"I'm pleased we can allocate £1 million to continue staff development in the sector."

Carol Ball, chair of Unison Scotland education issues group, said: "We cannot wait another 15 years for change.

"We need to set minimum qualifications for all childcare and early learning workforce at HNC level."

Prime Minister David Cameron today announced plans to double free childcare for working parents elsewhere in the UK.

Scottish Conservative young people spokeswoman Liz Smith said: "We welcome this announcement by the Westminster government for recognising how important free children care provision is to hard-working parents.

"However, in Scotland there has been very little progress and the SNP are falling further behind.

"At present, the system is failing children and it is failing parents. We believe that must change.

"Not because of ideology or dogma, but because of simple, practical common sense which is in line with what parents desperately want."