Nursery faces closure as staff and financial pressures hit

Becky Ramsay said: “We lost two experienced practitioners within a short space of time since the beginning of the year. We have filled the posts but not with staff with the same level of qualifications and experience. 

“We have tried advertising posts on social media as well as on various job sites.” 

Emma Penman said they struggle to recruit experienced child-carers due to the pressures of the job, coupled with the difficulty of competing with wages offered at local authority-run nurseries. 

She added: “We need at least two trained childcare practitioners. It takes years to become experienced.  

“The young girls we have working here are wonderful with the children and so nurturing, but some of them are still training, others are newly qualified. 

“The way the Care Inspectorate and HMIE guidelines are, they are looking for people who are not only qualified, but who have years of experience behind them. 

“I don’t think people realise we are expected to push forward the curriculum, push forward teaching, learning, assessment. The wage will never match a teacher’s wage, but we are expected to do as much as a teacher.” 

Any closure would leave a dire shortage of childcare for babies and infants aged up to three in Mid Argyll. 

Argyll and Bute Council’s education department is working with other providers to ensure all families receive the 30 hours a week, government-funded Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) entitlement for children aged three – five, should Riverside Rascals close. 

But there is no government obligation to provide childcare for infants under three. 

Becky added: “We have 13 babies waiting for places between now and January in our 0-3 years room. 

“A lot of parents who have children under three here are NHS healthcare professionals who are delivering essential services for the community. 

“We just want to say how sorry we are that it has come to the possibility of a closure. We are really saddened that it has come to looking like this.” 

Jane MacLeod, secretary of Mid Argyll Chamber of Commerce, said: “The nursery’s closure would be a major blow for the Mid Argyll area. 

“In rural communities, childcare is a critical part of the infrastructure which allows parents to work and businesses to retain staff.  Suitable childcare is an essential part of the function of local economies. 

“The loss of local childcare may force many parents – particularly mothers – to reduce their hours, turn down work or leave employment altogether. 

“The closure would have a direct knock-on effect on local employers who already struggle to recruit and retain staff in rural Argyll and Bute and the irony of a nursery facing potential closure due to difficulty in staff recruitment is not lost on members of the Mid Argyll Chamber of Commerce who experience similar difficulties.” 

A spokeswoman for the council said: “Riverside Rascals nursery notified the council on May 21 of a potential closure. At present, no definitive closure date has been confirmed. 

“We are speaking with local providers to assess capacity and ensure that all families can access their funded ELC entitlement should the service close. 

“Further information and next steps will be shared with affected families once a formal decision has been confirmed by the Riverside Rascals’ management team. 

“We recognise the importance of continuity of care and will continue to liaise with partners and provide updates as soon as information becomes available.”