Greens urge Scottish Government to set out progress to ensure childcare is truly free at three
The Scottish Greens have urged the Scottish Government to set out what progress has been made to ensure childcare is genuinely free from the day a child turns three.
With families struggling with the cost of childcare, the party is urging the Cabinet Secretary for Education to ensure that every child can access their free hours from their third birthday, rather than having to wait until the following school term.
The Scottish Government’s Scottish Household Survey 2025 on Childcare recently found that almost a fifth of households said they find it difficult or very difficult to afford childcare, with only 47% of households saying they could afford it.
Expanding free childcare was a key Scottish Greens policy in the 2026 election. The party proposed 570 hours of free childcare for every child from six months old, alongside extending the existing 1,140 hours from three-year-olds to two-year-olds.
In a letter to Mairi McAllan, Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Education Laura Moodie pointed out it had been five months since the Scottish Government backed a Holyrood motion that supported the Scottish Greens’ policy to make funded hours available a week after the child’s third birthday.
It comes as the Scottish Government confirmed it would launch a consultation on transforming childcare in “spring 2027”.
Scottish Green MSP Laura Moodie said:
“Families across Scotland have been promised free childcare when their little one turns three – but most councils are not providing it from that point.
“While household budgets are being stretched by the cost of living crisis, many parents are being forced to pay nursery fees for months between their child’s third birthday and the start of the next school term.“This can be a particularly worrying time for families and parents, particularly mothers, who have had to survive on very little maternity pay during their baby’s first year.
“Many are then left facing an extortionate childcare bill – in some cases more than their monthly rent or mortgage – simply to return to work.
“Parents should not be forced to choose between their family and their career, or face going into debt to be able to go to work. They should also not be faced with hidden childcare costs that are dictated by when their child is born.
“Childcare must be available and affordable if we want more parents to enter and remain in the work force – it’s common sense.”
Laura added:
“The Scottish Government has an opportunity to end this postcode lottery ahead of a wider consultation on childcare by making sure that every child receives their funded hours from their third birthday.
“The Scottish Greens are urging the Cabinet Secretary to set out what progress has been made to ensure that for all families, childcare will be truly free at three.”
FULL LETTER FROM LAURA MOODIE
Dear Mairi,
Families across Scotland are feeling the strain on their budgets, particularly households with young children.
The recent Scottish Government’s Scottish Household Survey 2025 on Childcare found that almost a fifth of households said they find it difficult or very difficult to afford childcare, with only 47% of households saying they could afford it.
I know you will agree with me that expanding our offering of funded childcare is a vital step we must take in this Parliamentary session to both reduce poverty and cut household bills, and I acknowledge the commitment made by the Government to consult on a “blueprint for a transformed childcare offer” in 2027.
But there is one simple step that the Government can take right now to make the system fairer and save families money.
The Scottish Government’s universal funded childcare offer is meant to start when a child turns three. But the majority of Scottish local authorities only offer funded hours from the term after a child’s third birthday - meaning families are forced to pay thousands of pounds to try and plug the gap until they reach that term.
Right now, parents are being caught out by hidden childcare costs simply because of where and when their children are born.
Earlier this year, your Government supported motion S7M-00128, which committed the Scottish Government to work with COSLA and others to ensure that the current funded hours available to three-year-olds are accessible the week after the child’s birthday, not the term after.
But five months on, parents are still waiting. Parents of a child turning three today would be forced to pay for eleven weeks of childcare before their funded hours start in January.
So I am writing today to ask what progress you have made to deliver on the commitment agreed by Parliament, and when every child in Scotland will be able to access funded childcare from their third birthday.
Yours sincerely,
Laura Moodie MSP