Greens urge SNP to match universal free childcare pledge
Scottish Green co-leader Gillian Mackay has urged John Swinney to match her party’s ambition for childcare and to back Green policies for the biggest expansion of free care for a generation.
The Scottish Greens are offering all families in Scotland 1140 hours of funded childcare from the week after a child turns two, which will be delivered as soon as possible.
They will also invest in staffing and nursery facilities, ensuring that by the end of the parliamentary session, all families with children aged 6 months to 2 years can also access 570 hours of fully funded childcare.
In comparison the SNP has been light on detail about its plans and has appeared to back a means-tested model.
In a letter to Mr Swinney, Gillian has urged the SNP to take a universal approach to ensure no family has to jump through hoops or fall through the cracks of a means-tested system.
Gillian said:
“We all agree that Scotland's childcare system is not good enough. It is expensive, inflexible and forces too many parents to make really difficult choices about when to go back to work.
“This is an area where all parties should be able to work together.
“That’s why we are urging John Swinney to match our ambition and work with us to deliver the biggest roll-out of free childcare for a generation, ensuring that no child is left behind and that no family falls through the cracks of a means-tested system.
“When we invest in childcare we are investing in parents and children and in building a society where families can flourish.
“Scotland’s parents and their children deserve a better deal. And every vote for the Scottish Greens on May 7th is a vote to deliver it.”
TEXT OF LETTER FROM GILLIAN MACKAY TO JOHN SWINNEY
Dear John,
Our parties have worked together effectively in recent years to help improve the lives of families across Scotland. From free bus travel for young people, to scrapping peak time rail fares, and making our tax system fairer, we appreciate the way the SNP have embraced Scottish Green policies and worked with us to deliver a better deal for Scotland.
Therefore we are pleased to see the SNP following the lead of the Scottish Greens and committing to expanding funded childcare at this election. We both know the transformative potential of this policy, allowing more mothers in particular to return to work, and more children to benefit from the strong start in life that high quality childcare can provide.
We have noted however that the plans announced by the SNP seem to be lacking detail so far, with no confirmation of how many hours will be funded, who will be eligible, or how they will access them.
I’m sure you’ll agree, going into an election it’s important to be transparent with voters about what parties are offering. With such an important policy, families deserve to know what they are casting their vote for at the ballot box.
Therefore, we’re writing to ask, will you commit to matching the Scottish Greens offer on funded childcare for families in Scotland?
That means offering all families in Scotland 1140 hours of funded childcare, from the week after they turn two, as soon as possible.
It also means investing in staffing and nursery facilities, so that by the end of the parliamentary session, all families with children aged 6 months to 2 years can also access 570 hours of fully funded childcare.
And it means reviewing the way funding is delivered, to ensure cross-boundary placements are not denied funding, and remote and rural areas can access baseline funding to make childcare provision viable.
With childcare costs harming many families across Scotland, no one should have to jump through hoops to prove they deserve support. The Scottish Greens are committed to ensuring any expansion of funded childcare is universal and available to all, and we would greatly welcome your support on this issue.
Yours,
Gillian Mackay
