Kirsty is a shift worker at the port in Aberdeen, due to the nature of her job she often works irregular shifts and needed childcare that worked around her ever changing rota. When her son turned 2 she wanted to return to work but the nurseries she was looking at could only offer her a full-time place which was expensive and didn’t meet her needs.
“I found myself in a pretty panicked position,” Kirsty explained, “wondering how we would afford to keep our son in nursery with me working unsociable hours. I researched online for flexible childcare and finally found FCSS in Tillydrone, it was definitely a eureka moment!”
Tillydrone is a fully flexible early learning and childcare setting which allows parents to book their childcare by the hour and change their bookings each week. This model has been specifically designed to help parents to find or stay in meaningful employment helping them to increase their income and reduce their childcare costs because they only pay for the hours they use as opposed to being fixed into set blocks of time.
“The flexibility of the childcare in Tillydrone has helped us immeasurably; I would not have been able to accept a big promotion at work due to the cost of paying for a full-time place. My Husband and I are now able to work full-time which means a double income for the family. I would highly recommend Flexible Childcare Services Scotland; I feel lucky to have found you! My friends and family are stunned that I have access to flexible childcare that doesn’t cripple our family income.”
Kirsty is one of many families benefiting from Flexible Childcare Services Scotland’s flexible childcare model. According to the charity’s latest research 85% of the families they support are in either full or part time employment and 81% have said that their income has increased thanks to the flexibility of their services, 21% of whom have said their income has increased by more than £5,000 / year.
