Elections 2026: What have political parties said about childcare?

With the election fast approaching, political parties have set out a range of proposals relating to childcare in their manifestos. Compiled by Innes Burns, Communications Officer at Children in Scotland.  

Here’s what they each had to say…

Conservative and Unionist Party

The Conservatives propose extending funded childcare to younger children, offering provision from nine months onwards for working parents, based on the model of 1,140 hours for three- and four-year-olds. They state that childcare should support parents to “return to work, continue with their career and make a good living”. 

They also propose changes to how childcare is funded, including a “funding follows the child” model intended to give parents greater choice over childcare settings. 

Their manifesto also includes additional education and family-related policies such as breakfast clubs for primary pupils, additional classroom assistants, support for care-experienced young people, measures relating to rural schools and nurseries, and support for youth work and physical education in schools. 

Labour Party

Labour proposes reducing childcare costs for working parents, including increasing the value of tax-free childcare to £3,000 per child. It also includes proposals for funded holiday childcare, including two weeks of summer holiday clubs for primary-aged children. 

The party proposes improving flexibility in the childcare system, including ensuring funding follows the child and improving access for different family circumstances such as shift workers, single parents, and children with additional support needs. 

Labour also commits to maintaining the Scottish Child Payment and increasing it to £40 per week for children under one, and proposes breakfast clubs in all primary schools so that no child starts the day hungry. 

Their manifesto also includes broader proposals relating to childcare affordability and holiday provision for families. 

Liberal Democrats

The Liberal Democrats propose the development of family support hubs offering emotional, practical and financial support to families, with a focus on communities with higher levels of need. 

They propose ensuring access to early learning and childcare that is flexible, affordable and fair, including maintaining the principle that funding follows the child. They also propose improving access to childcare for working parents and those entering employment or education. 

Further proposals include increasing flexibility in the childcare system, improving access across local authority boundaries, and supporting childcare provision in rural and remote areas. They also propose extending childcare support for students to cover independent study and vocational placements. 

Their manifesto also includes proposals relating to care-experienced people and wider family support services. 

Reform UK

Reform UK in Scotland emphasises a broader economic approach to improving outcomes for children and families, focusing on increasing employment, reducing dependency on welfare, and promoting financial stability. 

Within this approach, improving access to work and strengthening household incomes is presented as a key route to reducing pressure on families and supporting better outcomes for children. 

While Reform UK has not set out detailed policy proposals specifically on early learning and childcare, its wider strategy suggests that family wellbeing is primarily addressed through economic measures rather than expanded public service provision. 

The party’s approach to child poverty focuses on long-term economic growth and reducing reliance on state support, with the aim of creating more sustainable improvements in living standards.  

Scottish Greens

The Scottish Greens propose extending funded childcare provision to younger age groups. This includes extending the 1,140 hours of funded childcare to all two-year-olds and expanding funded childcare for children aged six months to two years, with the aim of providing 570 hours of funded childcare for this group by the end of 2031. 

They also propose allowing childcare funding for under-twos to be used either for formal childcare provision or as a subsidy for a parent choosing to stay at home or reduce working hours. 

Additional proposals include improving flexibility in childcare provision, such as wraparound care, provision for shift workers, and childminder services, as well as reforms to funding distribution so that it follows the child regardless of local authority boundaries. They also include proposals for investment in the childcare workforce, rural provision, and support for out-of-hours and holiday care, including provision for children with additional support needs. 

Their manifesto also includes proposals for childcare provision in colleges and support for workplace childcare. 

Scottish National Party (SNP)

The SNP sets out a significant expansion of early learning and childcare. It describes this as “a transformational national expansion of childcare, from 9 months to the end of primary school, 52 weeks a year”, with the aim of providing support across the full school-age range and around the calendar year. 

The party proposes extending entitlement so that all children from nine months to the end of primary school can access childcare support, including before school, after school and during holiday periods. It also retains the existing provision of 1,140 hours of funded early learning and childcare. 

The manifesto states that “every child in Scotland deserves the best start in life” and includes a commitment to reducing child poverty and supporting families. It also notes that families could receive between £1,400 and over £11,000 depending on need as part of the expanded system. 

Their manifesto also includes support for care-experienced young people, including implementation of The Promise, aftercare support up to age 26 for eligible care leavers, reforms to the Children’s Hearing System, and a £2,000 Care Leaver Payment.