STV NewsA mum in Edinburgh says nursery fees are swallowing three-quarters of her salary – costing her more than £21,000 a year.
Bernie Carranza, who lives in Edinburgh with her husband Rik and their two children aged ten months and four, says childcare costs amount to £1,800 a month for four days a week.
She says nursery fees have “skyrocketed,” rising nearly a third in just three years since her eldest son Jonah was enrolled.
She told STV News: “The only way we are able to afford that is we’ve been saving over the last year. We’ve been putting money aside for childcare. We’re just going to have to tighten our belts, watch what we’re spending.”
Charity fundraising officer Bernie, who moved from Birmingham to Edinburgh in February 2022, says the difference in childcare support between Scotland and England is stark.
She says she’s missing out on funded childcare her baby would have qualified for down south.
New rules kicked in this month for working parents of children in England, where they can now claim 30 funded childcare hours per week.
‘The cost is staggering’
STV News“If I were in England, my baby would be eligible for funded hours this September, but in Scotland there is no support.
“It’s really frustrating, how much less we would be spending.
“My friend was considering moving to Edinburgh, but is no longer going because she is pregnant. Why would she, when she is going to be paying so much more in Scotland than in England?”
Bernie says fees for her eldest child, who receives 30 funded hours a week, have still risen sharply from £56 a day in 2022 to £88 now – a jump of around 30%.
“There’s no ceiling. What we considered too expensive when we first looked at nurseries is now the baseline.”
She also described the struggle to find available spaces.
“When I moved to Edinburgh, it took me seven months to find a nursery place, in which time myself and my husband relied on our parents, who are not local, annual leave and working flexibly.
“If I had not found a nursery place, it was looking likely I would have to leave my job.”
She added: “It feels like the Scottish Government don’t really care – or are turning a blind eye to it, not accepting there’s an issue up here.
“It’s just the huge cost of it. It’s shocking – staggering to us.”
iStock‘Childcare is not a luxury’
Campaigners are now calling for urgent change.
Charity Pregnant Then Screwed have staged a pop-up protest nursery outside the Scottish Parliament with more than 50 mothers in work clothes and their babies.
The group wants a new funding model – Scotland’s Childcare Guarantee – which would cap childcare costs at 5% of a family’s income, with the rest covered by public funds.
They argue it would give the biggest boost to single parents, young mums, families with disabled children and those on the lowest incomes.
Research shows 41% of parents in Scotland have had to rely on debt or dip into savings to cover childcare costs.
Carole Erskine, head of policy and campaigns in Scotland, said: “For too long, we’ve treated childcare as a private problem. Something for parents – usually mothers – to figure out on their own.
“But childcare is not a luxury. It’s the infrastructure that holds up our economy, enables gender equality and gives every child a fair start in life.
“The cost of childcare is crippling families and leaving many with no option but to give up work because fees are swallowing their wages whole.
“The impact of this can have a splinter effect on families for years to come due to lower wages, lost promotions, lack of career development and an impact on mental health. Even for those who do manage to keep working, it’s a logistical and financial nightmare.
“While Scotland does offer funded hours, it is often a confusing and inaccessible system which is still unaffordable for many. We need politicians to take notice.
“It’s time to stop patching up a broken system and start again, with a model that actually works.”
What’s the current system in Scotland?
All three to five-year-olds in Scotland receive 1,140 hours of free childcare – the equivalent of 30 hours a week during term-time.
But for most working parents who need year-round care, that works out at just 23 hours a week.
Some two-year-olds qualify, but only in low-income households or where parents receive certain benefits.
While some families can access tax-free childcare or claim back hours, campaigners say the system is complex and many miss out.
What’s the current system in England?
All three and four-year-olds in England are entitled to 15 hours of free childcare per week during term time.
Since September 2025, working families can access up to 30 hours a week of funded childcare for children aged nine months to school age.
Some two-year-olds also qualify for 15 funded hours, but only if their families receive certain benefits or meet other eligibility criteria.
Additional support such as Tax-Free Childcare and Universal Credit childcare payments is available, though childcare availability varies significantly across the country.
Children’s minister Natalie Don-Innes said she would be willing to examine proposals put forward.
She said the Scottish Government has also provided £16m over two years for six Early Adopter Communities, a new model of school-aged childcare, particularly for low-income families.
“Scotland was the first and is still the only country in the UK to offer 1,140 hours of free childcare to families regardless of their parents’ working status,” she said.
“We’re focused on ensuring equity for three and four-year-olds and prioritising the needs of the most disadvantaged children.
“There are a number of other actions we’re taking to improve access to childcare for one and two-year-olds, and equally understand the needs of families to build that wider system in future.
“I understand times are difficult for families. We’re continuing to expand free childcare and the number of families that can benefit from that.”
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