The NDNA’s Business Performance survey has revealed that nurseries in Scotland are struggling to make a profit as parents reduce their number of hours they use, and electricity, business rates and wages rise.
Of the 87 nurseries surveyed, 86 per cent said they had seen an increase in the number of children attending part-time as parents look to family and friends for childcare.
Around 55 per cent of nurseries reported there had been an increase in the starting age of children.
Ninety-two per cent of nurseries reported making losses on pre-school places, with an average loss of more than £500 per child per year. The National Day Nurseries warns that this is an unsustainable position for settings particularly if the free hours in Scotland are extended from 475 to 600 hours as proposed in the forthcoming Children and Young People bill.
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