Nursery fees in Scotland are increasing at almost double the rate of those in England, prompting warnings that parents will find it increasingly difficult to afford childcare.
According to a new survey, a typical full-time nursery place for a child under two in Scotland in 2007 is £146 a week, a 10% increase from last year when weekly costs were £132.
Although the cost of the same care in England is still higher at £152 a week, Scotland is catching up fast with increases south of the border pegged at 6%. Increases in fees in Wales are running at 2% a year, the study by the Daycare Trust and Children in Scotland found.
The highest reported costs were £250 a week, for both childminders and nursery provision, amounting to £13,000 a year.
Bronwen Cohen, chief executive of Children in Scotland, said access to nursery services for young children should not be determined by parental employment status and income.
She said: "There is a widespread recognition among Scotland's political parties that much more needs to be done to develop better services for young children. This is likely to be a key issue in the upcoming Scottish election.
"The survey results underline the need to integrate pre-school education with childcare, and ensure that all young children have access to full-day provision when required in neighbourhood services.
"This would build better community cohesion, support more secure childhoods and move Scotland and the UK up the rankings of child well-being in advanced nations."
Alison Garnham, joint chief executive of Daycare Trust, said: "With typical childcare costs rising by 10% to around one-third of average earnings, parents cannot afford to bear the burden of increasing childcare costs alone.
"Despite significant government investment in early years and childcare, funding needs to be further improved so that all children have access to high-quality, affordable and accessible childcare."
Irene Audain, chief executive of the Scottish Out of School Care Network, added: "Increased, long-term and stable funding investment in all services for children and young people is needed, especially to address serious gaps in provision."
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