Half of nurseries to implement childcare pledge

Survey: Key Scottish Government policy prompts funding fears among providers

Only half of nurseries in the private and voluntary sector say they are likely to implement the Scottish Government’s flagship pledge on childcare by providing youngsters with 1,140 hours of funded care.

Ministers have already pledged to almost double the amount of free care three and four-year-olds and vulnerable two-year-olds are entitled to receive by the end of this parliament.

A survey by the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) found while about half (51%) are very likely or likely to offer places, a quarter of nurseries said it was either very unlikely or unlikely they would do so.

Its annual nursery survey for 2017 in Scotland said: “Many nurseries have reservations about the 1,140 hours offer, with 40% reporting negative feelings compared to 27% positive feelings.

“Comments indicate negative views are driven by fears about funding rates falling short of costs of delivery of funded places as they do with the current 600-hour offer.”

While 84% of nurseries in the private and voluntary sector provide funded places for three and four-year-olds, the vast majority (85%) of them said the money they received from the local council for this did not cover their costs.

Nurseries received an average of £3.64 an hour for providing childcare under the policy, leaving them with an average reported loss of £1.70 – the equivalent of £1,020 per child over the 600 hours youngsters are currently entitled to, according to the NDNA.

Just over half of the 221 private and third-sector nurseries who were surveyed expected to either break even (40%) or make a loss (12%) in 2017.