Barriers to Childcare in Rural Areas
Childcare is a problem for many parents and caregivers in
the UK. At the heart of the problem is
availability and the continuous rising cost resulting in parents being priced
out-particularly where children do not have funded hours. In Scotland, childcare funding is available
for three-year-olds and children over 2 in some circumstances (The Scottish
Government, 2025). In the Programme
for Government 2023-2024, it was announced that childcare funding would be
increased. The reasons for funded
childcare include: getting people into work to improve the economy as a whole,
but also to increase the household incomes through work and reduce outgoing
costs resulting in families having “more money in their pocket after paying for
essentials” to alleviate child poverty (Joseph
Rowntree Foundation, 2024).
As part of the Novel Insight on Rural and
Island Economies (NISRIE) project we interviewed rural parents to look at the
impacts that childcare shortages are having on families however a much bigger
picture emerged where we found childcare shortages significantly impacted more
widely on Scotland’s rural and island communities’ socioeconomic situation.
The parents we spoke to told us they could not access “formal”
childcare in any form or were required to travel many miles to get access. To accommodate childcare shortages some parents
were downscaling their jobs to lower paid/unskilled jobs, and some were
working fewer hours or working flexible hours.
This resulted in households having lower income and parents not
working in the professions they had trained for. In addition, some were working more in the
evenings to make up for the time spent looking after children during
“normal working hours” putting additional pressure on both their personal and
professional lives.
Grandparents and friends in some cases looked after
children and while some were paid for it some were not. Many grandparents are now required to work
later in life so this was not an option even where grandparents lived nearby
for some parents we spoke to. One
interviewee wanted to move out of their community to be closer to grandparents,
who were willing to help with childcare, but the higher house prices in the new
area meant that this was not an option so they felt “trapped”. Another
one stated that if they did not have in-laws support for childcare, they would
not be able to pursue their careers, and third one said that they “cannot
afford having a child”, as their in-laws would have to downscale their
working hours to help with childcare and it would financially impact
everyone involved.
Many mums reported the detrimental impact that
inaccessibility to childcare had on their interpersonal relationships and
mental health. The realisation
they will not be able to work or continue their chosen careers or the
stress of trying to find childcare also contributed to post-natal
depression. Others discussed the changes
or conflicts in familial relations when relatives were providing childcare. “The guilt” was mentioned more
than once, where parents didn’t feel they could ask for more help with
childcare for recreational and social activities so they went without it, again
this was negatively affecting their mental health. Many parents described the “the
juggle” where parents manage in a tag team fashion to look after
children describing how stressful this was to both parents. Most mums
interviewed were quick to point out that the fathers were providing support
with childcare and some commented on how difficult it is for those with
partners who do not help or work away from home.
So how does this impact the wider community?
Lack of
childcare has a number of knock-on effects in rural communities.
If parents cannot access suitable childcare they cannot
apply for some jobs. These often include those that provide a service to the
local community e.g. nurses, waiting staff, and care staff, therefore further
contributing to the loss of services and amenities in the communities. We spoke
to one mother who was recruiting for a job in a nursing home where they could
not fill the vacant positions and one of the main reasons was the lack of childcare
in the local area. She had also lost staff due to parents being unable to get
suitable childcare and said that once applicants realised the childcare
situation in the local area they withdrew their applications. This meant that the care home was not
operating at capacity and that more elderly people had to be looked after at
home, often by family.
Others interviewed also said that new families were not
moving into areas where there are shortages in childcare and some are some are leaving
or wanting to leave due to the lack of childcare. In this way lack of childcare contributes to
depopulation; indeed as the important stage before formal schooling, lack of childcare
could be the predecessor to rural schools closing.
There is also the impact of loss of earnings-- if households
have less disposable income, this impacts their ability to further improve
their livelihoods and contribute to local economy.
What is the way forward?
The Scottish Government has committed to increasing free
childcare provision; however there are concerns about how this will work in
rural and island communities that are already struggling to provide little/any
childcare and many are asking for more clarity on what will be provided. Whilst the parents in this research were not
asked about comparisons to urban areas, some volunteered that they should be
offered the same options as others living in more urban areas. In some rural
areas we were told school nurseries were providing childcare for younger
children (2 and up) however this is not the same across the country (Local
authorities are responsible for ensuring that the funded ELC (Early Learning
Centre) entitlement is available for all eligible children in their area (Scottish
Government, 2024) There have been
targeted campaigns to recruit childminders in some rural areas however many
felt that this would not be an attractive proposition to others in their
community. Issues include that the sector is underfunded, there is no
guaranteed income, child numbers vary considerably year to year and there are
substantial administrative requirements. Community-run initiatives were also
discussed as an alternative model and two interviewees discussed these
happening in their local areas but felt that they were not without their
challenges.
The childcare sector within Scotland is challenging to fully
understand, as Local Authorities have autonomy on what is delivered in each
area and notable variation exists. This
more localised approach to childcare should allow more appropriate services to
be provided to those living in Rural and Island areas across Scotland. However, some “rural proofing” and innovative
thinking is required to ensure that the needs of communities are met. In addition, there may need to be an
acceptance that childcare in these more remote areas may cost more compared to
urban settings; however, the socio-economic benefits to these communities should
be considered in local policy decision making.
If you would like to learn more about this topic here are
some resources:
National
Day Nurseries Association
Scottish
Childminding Association