By Purnima Tanuku, chief executive of National Day Nurseries Association Scotland.

THE Scottish Government is thinking big on childcare, with plans that could revolutionise the early years landscape in this country.

Proposals are impressive: for three and four-year-olds and eligible two-year-olds to be given 1,140 hours per year of Government-funded early learning and childcare, almost double what they can currently receive.

But as yet there is a yawning chasm between the ambition and the reality.

Parental choice and high quality provision must be the guiding principles for the policy to work.

For this ambition to be fulfilled, private and third sector nurseries must be fully involved. As experts in delivering year-round, flexible childcare for working families in Scotland, making up 59 per cent of the total number of providers for under-fives, these nurseries are more than significant.

They are crucial to offering enough capacity for this policy to be successful.

But these nurseries are often overlooked by their local authority. Some aren’t given the chance to become a partner provider delivering funded places, many have their number of places capped. And yet one-quarter have a waiting list of parents, with an average of nine children on the list, hoping to be enrolled to take up their free place.

So far very few of these nurseries are being included in pilots which began in the new year. Pilots are currently testing many specific aspects such as “stay and play”, childcare in isolated communities and outdoor provision.

These are all important, but mainstream flexible childcare for working families needs to be thoroughly tested in enough private and third sector nurseries so any arising issues can be identified and solutions found ahead of the full roll-out in 2020. The whole sector needs to be fully engaged and consulted at all stages of this trial process.

Then there is the money issue.

These proposals are the most ambitious of similar in the UK, but currently nurseries in Scotland have the biggest funding gap. Successive surveys National Day Nurseries Association Scotland (NDNA) has carried out among nurseries show that the average rate for a funded three or four-year-old child is £3.56 per hour, multiplying to a shortfall compared with delivery costs of £1,128 per year.

This means that the average Scottish private or third sector nursery offering funded hours has to absorb a shortfall of £39,480 per year. This is higher than deficits in England and Wales. How can any business sustain such losses year on year?

Childcare providers delivering this pledge will be encouraged to pay employees at least the Scottish Living Wage.

But with current meagre funding rates, many nurseries are struggling to pay their staff even the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage. They would dearly love to increase wages to attract more high quality candidates, but are hamstrung by increasing business burdens and inadequate funding for “free” places.

Funding rates are much higher in the public sector, with private and third sector nurseries regularly losing key staff members to better paid jobs in schools and council settings. All nurseries should be paid a fair rate which can translate into a wage that reflects the responsibility, dedication, qualifications and experience of practitioners.

The Scottish Government is close to transforming early learning and childcare. NDNA is calling on ministers to fully consider our concerns as the voice of the sector.

Nicola Sturgeon announced a proposal, which NDNA suggested originally to the Scottish Commission for Childcare Reform, of an Early Learning and Childcare Account for each child. This would be set up online for parents to use to buy their childcare directly from the provider. It would allow funding to go directly to nurseries and providers without any top-slicing from councils and also give parents choice over where their child takes up their free hours.

We hope the Government continues to listen to us and work closely with the sector to make sure that our private and third sector nurseries are involved and engaged in delivering this promise. These nurseries can offer the capacity and flexibility that is needed.

Give them the money to enable them to offer 1,140 hours, the confidence that this will be increased in line with inflation and rising business burdens such as soaring business rates and capital investment programmes to enable them to expand as required to meet demand.

Ambitious proposals need ambitious solutions. Together we can make this work.