The upcoming shift in nursery funding policy by East Dunbartonshire Council has resulted in an unjust disparity in access to early education for children turning three. Our children will now miss out on up to four crucial months of education, which under previous arrangements, would have been funded from the day after the child’s 3rd birthday. From March 2026, it will be the term after their third birthday. This new policy contradicts the Scottish Government's commitment to providing free childcare for all three and four-year-olds.

This issue will directly impact my daughter, who despite being born at the start of April, will not receive funding until she is 3 years and 4 months old in the August. This will force us to bear additional financial burdens during an already challenging cost of living crisis. For my family personally this will be thousands of pounds in extra fees for my daughter to access her nursery place, purely based on when her birthday falls. 

East Dunbartonshire Council’s policy shift will affect many working families, depriving us of one of the few universal benefits - funded nursery hours for our children. As working parents, we will now need to wait until the next school term for our children to receive their entitlement to early education. 

In a time when early childhood education is recognised as vital for development, it is really disappointing to see a policy shift that undermines the accessibility and affordability of nursery education. According to the Scottish Government, early learning is crucial for children's social and cognitive development, especially in the years before primary school. The previous policy ensured that families could rely on funding from the day after their child’s third birthday, thus providing stability and continuity in their toddlers' educational journey.

By altering the policy, East Dunbartonshire Council not only disrupts this stability but also puts additional financial strain on families. The change may lead to some children receiving less education at a critical developmental stage solely because their parents may not be able to afford the additional months of private nursery fees.

I urge East Dunbartonshire Council to reconsider and reverse this policy change. We need policies that support—not hinder—our children's early education and their right to quality nursery education should not be compromised. 

This is not just about personal inconvenience; it's about fairness and equal opportunity for all children in East Dunbartonshire.

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