Mother's heartfelt plea for Scottish Government to match England childcare offer after Humza Yousaf pledge

A new petition is urging the Scottish Government to offer free childcare for babies from nine months of age to match England’s scheme, in the wake of a key leadership pledge by former first minister Humza Yousaf. 

Mother Julie Fraser, 34, said funded childcare in Scotland should be expanded as it is leaving women to make “difficult choices” to make ends meet.

Three and four-year-olds in Scotland are offered 1,140 hours of funded childcare, which works out at around 30 hours a week during the school term time. The offer is also available to some two-year-olds.

In England, some children are also offered 30 hours of funded childcare a week. However, some children between the ages of nine months and two are also offered 15 hours of funded weekly childcare.

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Ms Fraser, from Banchory, said the same should be offered in Scotland to stop the cost of childcare from “crippling” families. Her son goes to private nursery three days a week, at a cost of almost £80 a day.

Ms Fraser said: “The fees were expensive, but I didn’t grudge paying them because I didn’t think there was an alternative. But when I learned about what happens in England, I spoke to a few of my mum friends.

“The cost of childcare is crippling and women are being put in this situation where they have to make difficult choices, and we don’t feel that is right.”

Ms Fraser added: “Women are put at a disadvantage. Many say ‘just give up work’, but what about your future prospects, pensions, national insurance and career opportunities? 

“There’s a lot more to it than just the bill every month, and that seems to be very lost on a lot of people.”

The mother said the financial pressure nursery fees posed was making her and her partner “pause and consider” whether or not they could afford to have another child.

She added: “I know many other women who feel the same way. Many friends have had to take out loans to cover expenses on maternity leave and now they are having to balance returning to work on reduced hours with childcare costs. It is a vicious cycle of trying to stay afloat.”

Ms Fraser has now submitted a petition to the Scottish Parliament, calling on the Scottish Government to expand free childcare.

Last year former first minister Humza Yousaf pledged in his Programme for Government that six council areas would be taking part in a pilot to expand free childcare to nine-month-olds.

However, Ms Fraser said many parents and those working in the childcare sector knew very little detail about this pilot scheme or further plans to roll it out across Scotland.

She said: “I understood the fact that nursery fees would be a part of our life, but knowing there are plans to extend it to most families without a timescale and dates is like dangling a carrot. The details need to be released to the public, because no one really knows what is going on.”

Her petition says providing the funding needed for this would help families get back to work and improve personal circumstances.

“This would help families, especially women, so they don’t feel they have to make the choice between their family and their career,” Ms Fraser added.

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "Scotland is the only part of the UK to already offer 1,140 hours a year of funded early learning and childcare to all three and four-year-olds and eligible two-year-olds - equivalent to 30 hours per week in term time - regardless of their parents’ working status, putting children first.

“This offer has been in place since 2021 and, if families paid for this themselves, it would cost them more than £5,500 per eligible child per year.

"We will continue our work to develop an expanded national offer for more families with two-year olds, and progress work with early adopter communities in six local authorities to develop local systems of funded childcare for families who need it most.”