Charity's pay-as-you-go flexible childcare model offering lifeline to working families

Parents are being helped back into work by a charity offering flexible, affordable childcare.

Flexible Childcare Services Scotland (FCSS) has six nurseries which support families in disadvantaged areas – with chiefs hoping to expand across Scotland.

The flexible model allows parents to book nursery slots by the hour, change their bookings in-line with their work or education commitments, and only pay for the childcare they use.

For Dundee mum Kerry Anne Laing, the charity’s support has been life-changing.

Before accessing FCSS’s services, she says she was living “on the breadline” each month, struggling to pay nursery fees while holding onto her full-time job.

She told STV News: “I remember waking up in complete dread, trying to figure out how to keep him in nursery and keep a career going.”

Unable to find a nursery with available space that matched her work hours, Kerry was forced to change her schedule around limited childcare options.

She now books childcare only when she needs it and says she now saves around £500 a month.

“He’s now there two days a week, and not from morning until night,” she said. “Reducing hours reduces the cost – and the flexibility makes all the difference.”

Childcare remains one of the biggest expenses for families in Scotland, often costing more than rent or mortgage payments.

According to recent data, the average cost of a part-time nursery place for a child under two has risen by 7% since 2024, reaching £122.38 per week.

Many families are unable to access affordable options that fit around shift work, part-time jobs, or study commitments.

Kerry says flexible childcare felt like escaping a “broken system” where parents are forced to bend their lives around nursery hours.

She added: “The team know each other really well, it’s really personal. It’s like this ready-built family.

“They know everything about him – his likes, his dislikes. They’re just lovely. Any concerns, they’re happy to work with.”

With the charity’s nursery, she could tailor her son’s childcare to a pay-per-hour, saving around £500 a month.

The savings and support has even allowed Kerry to open her own hair salon.

“I never thought it’d be on my bucket list. It felt completely unachievable. To be able to reinvest that money is just crazy.

“This system is like day and night. It’s almost hard to believe that someone is willing to work with you, with the flexibility and timing, so you can actually go to work whenever you want.”

The push for more flexible models is gaining momentum, especially through charities and social enterprises.

FCSS is funded by the STV Children’s Appeal and the Hunter Foundation, and it aims to be part of a growing movement for reform in how childcare is delivered in Scotland.

Nursery manager Amy Simpson said: “Some families need that bit more extra support to be able to go back to work and education.

“It’s not about booking a full-day space if they don’t need it; they can book the exact hours they need for family use, such as 9am-3pm. You’re usually only able to book for a full-day space.

“We have parents say ‘we’re looking for a nursery space’ and we tell them they can just pay for the hours used – and they are absolutely blown away.

“We want to make sure we’re doing our best for families and children here, so we offer that fully flexible module.”

The STV Children’s Appeal Ignite Fund aims to break the cycle of child poverty in Scotland by providing multi-year, sustained financial and development support to charities across the countr.

The fund will help FCSS enhance its flexible childcare provision so that more children and families have access to the childcare services they need to thrive.