Edinburgh Council has proposed a measure that would prevent families from surrounding areas from using their funded hours at Edinburgh-based private nurseries. (Minutes, page 322, point 5) 

This proposal is unjust and limits the choices of parents who rely on these services for their children's early education. According to the Scottish Government, all 3 and 4-year-olds in Scotland are entitled to 1140 hours of free early learning and childcare per year (source: Scottish Government). This entitlement should not be restricted by geographical boundaries within Scotland.

This proposal directly contravenes the GIRFEC principle of choice. Restricting choice will cause significant disruption to children who have to adapt to new childcare settings, as well as potentially increasing parents' commute times. This in turn may impact parents' availability for work and potentially exclude people from the workforce entirely. Furthermore, limiting funding to council-run nurseries will create a situation disproportionately affecting families with two working parents, as the opening hours of council-run nurseries compared to private / independent nurseries are significantly reduced. Therefore, families with two parents in employment will struggle to manage working full time if their child is at a council run nursery. Many families have to use a nursery nearby their place of work in order to manage pick up and drop off times.

Every child deserves access to quality education, regardless of where they live. We urge the council to reconsider this proposal in light of its potential impact on families in surrounding. Please sign this petition to show your support for equal access to funded nursery hours across all regions.