Scottish Labour claims a third of kids are missing out on childcare entitlement
Scottish Labour says new figures show a third of four-year-olds are missing out on a funded place at nursery.
Scottish Labour says new figures show a third of four-year-olds are missing out on a funded place at nursery.
The Scottish Government has previously claimed over 98 per cent of of 3-4 year olds were taking up their free childcare entitlement.
However, new statistics published by the Care Inspectorate show that, as of 31 December 2015 40,410 four-year-olds were recorded as having a funded place, compared to a population estimate of 58,246. The new figures also reveal that just 627 out of Scotland’s 2,434 nurseries provide any availability at breakfast time or before school hours. Scottish Labour said this means poor availability for working families and called for a legal guarantee for flexible childcare with a breakfast club in every primary school.
Daniel Johnson MSP said:
“This analysis leaves the SNP's claims about its flagship childcare policy in tatters.
“Despite what the Nationalists claim, the reality of the childcare system under the SNP has been exposed by these numbers.
“This also highlights a system that just isn’t working for families. A third of four-years-olds aren’t receiving their fully-funded entitlement, while just a just a quarter of nurseries offer provision before breakfast.
“We need a childcare system that fits around the lives of working parents, not just on election leaflets. That’s why Labour wants to see a legal guarantee for flexible childcare provision starting with a breakfast club in every primary school.”
But speaking on Scotland's Talk In First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she's confident in the Government's childcare policy is proving successful.
A Scottish Government spokesman added:
“Our commitment to expand childcare is this government’s most transformative infrastructure project. Quite simply, parents and carers benefit from having access to a high quality, flexible system that helps to support them into, or stay in, work, training or further study.
“We are committed to increasing funded free early learning and childcare to 1,140 hours by 2020 and work has already started to plan for this expansion. The expansion to 600 hours has already been fully funded.
“We expect local providers spending the funding we have made available to them to provide the hours, flexibility and choice parents and children need and want. Already plans are in place to trial a range of different childcare approaches to explore what works best for children and families.”