Parliament Workbench

Petition · PE01630 · Session 5

Nursery funding for 3 year olds

Closed Submitted 3 Nov 2016 People & Communities
Signatures
0
43 online signatures with a country
Comments
6
Considered
3 meetings
in the Official Report

What it asks

Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to revise their criteria for children becoming eligible for part-time funded nursery places following a child's third birthday.

What the petitioner did first

I have contacted our local council, our local MSP, Deputy First Minister and First Minister about the unfairness of the current system. My daughter was refused the funding from the start of the term after her third birthday and she is required (as are many children) to wait until the start of the second term after her birthday.

To date we have found the responses that we have had have been very unhelpful and purely keep referring to the birthday criteria set by the Scottish Government, which in itself is unfair and discriminates against children's birthdays. We have not yet received any helpful responses from our local MSP or any other Scottish Minister.

Where it was considered

Official Report
  1. 2 Feb 2017
    Public Petitions Committee
    New Petitions
    1 mention
  2. 27 Apr 2017
    Public Petitions Committee
    Continued Petitions
    1 mention
  3. 29 Jun 2017
    Public Petitions Committee
    Continued Petitions
    1 mention

Signatures by country

43 online signatures
  1. Scotland33 76.7%
  2. United Kingdom8 18.6%
  3. England2 4.7%

Comments

6 comments, oldest first
  1. Don Stewart 18 Nov 2016
    It is important that children are provided with the funding promised in the official publications, I.e. for all 3 year-olds therefore should be from their 3rd birthday and therefore fair for all.
  2. Steph 18 Nov 2016
    I experienced issues with the current criteria as I work full time, I had to rely on family for childcare I could not afford to pay my entire wage on childcare costs and my daughters 3rd birthday was September which ment we had to wait until January before she could attend, I felt she was more than ready to attend and start socialising with other kids. I find this very unfair as some children can start before they turn 3 and receive funding but others can't depending on their birthday.
  3. Mrs Hamilton 18 Nov 2016
    My son will be 3 years and almost 5 months before we receive a funded place. Fully support the petition.
  4. Cheryl Duggan 9 Dec 2016
    There should be a level playing field for all children to receive funding at the same time. If the cut off is the term following their 3rd birthday, everyone should wait. If only local authority nurseries can offer places that discriminates against the working parents who need full day care and all partnership nurseries who take children before they are 3. Their money is needed to pay staff
    - local authority are government funded, so our children should receive the same payment from government. Parents at our nursery can't understand why their children are treated differently
    - neither can the staff.
  5. Carol Watson 10 Dec 2016
    Equity for all children.
  6. Lynsey kerr 16 Dec 2016
    My son is 3 on 11 Jan 17 and I have been paying for childcare since he was 3 months and have to continue paying until April. Misses the cut off by 11 days I find this very unfair