Private nurseries call for funding review in Scotland
- Published
All children aged three and older are entitled to 1,140 hours of free childcare
Private nurseries are urging the Scottish government to change the way its free childcare policy is delivered.
All children over three years old qualify for 1,140 hours free care per year. But campaigners say funding is unfairly distributed between private nurseries and council-run facilities.
Several have already closed this year - and there are fears that more could follow as they struggle to compete.
The Scottish government said progress had been made in addressing the issue.
The SNP's government's flagship childcare policy was introduced in August 2020.
Funding for the scheme is distributed by local councils, who have been accused of failing to pay fair rates to private nurseries and childminders.
The Scottish Private Nurseries Association said it had left the sector into a "critical and very vulnerable position".
Chief executive Sharon Fairley has instructed lawyers to write to the Scottish government to seek a review of the policy.
'Well intended but flawed'
She told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme: "Because the policy allows the funding to be paid to the councils, this has caused a huge conflict with the private third sector and childminders.
"We're finding that the council are not passing on the full amount of funding that is meant for each child and they are retaining a percentage of it."
Ms Fairley said the policy was "well intended" but the guidance within it was flawed.
She added: "We've tried working with the councils, with Cosla, we've taken this to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman, we've taken it to the Competition and Marketing Authority, and we're just being ignored.
"The funding should be distributed in an individual way, it should not go through the council."
Clare Hammond said private nurseries are struggling to compete with council-run childcare providers
Several private nurseries have closed around Scotland in the last year, with many blaming staffing problems.
One of the largest childcare providers in Glasgow closed in March. Nurseries have also closed down in Broughty Ferry, Ardersier, Methil, Kirkintilloch, Coatbridge and Cumbernauld.
Edinburgh mum Clare Hammond uses a private nursery for children Mairéad, 2, and Cían, 3, because she cannot find a council-run provider that suits her working hours.
She said parents often sit on waiting lists for a year to secure a nursery spot.
"I registered my daughter when I was six months pregnant and only just managed to get a slot," she said.
"Our nursery closed to under threes in May, and that's not long after a nursery shut around the corner.
"Another in Edinburgh is closing after a fire because they just financially can't make the rebuild work."
Carole Erskine campaigns to help families secure adequate childcare
The Scottish government has pledged to expand the free childcare policy to cover one and two-year-olds .
Carole Erskine, Scottish campaign lead for the charity Pregnant Then Screwed, said this would be "music to many people's ears".
But she said: "Staff in third sector nurseries earn significantly less than those in the public sector, despite doing exactly the same job and having to meet the exact same requirements.
"We would of course welcome an expansion to the system, but they have to deal with these issues and they have to do an expansion properly."
Local government body Cosla said that councils have increased the level of funding to independent childcare providers by an average of 60% since 2017.
It said it was working with the government to review the "rate-setting process to consider any further lessons and possible improvements" to it.
The Scottish government said it would continue to engage on the issue and that progress had been made on increasing the rates councils pay private providers.
- Published1 March 2023
- Published11 August 2022
