SCOTLAND is facing a shortfall of at least 26,000 nursery places by 2020 to meet key pledges on childcare, new figures show.
Campaigning group of parents Free Funding for Our Kids said Scotland would need a minimum of 650 new nurseries and 3,250 staff within the next four years to bridge the gap.
The figures from the group were published after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon promised an expansion in free childcare if the SNP was voted back into power next year.
It would see the number of hours eligible youngsters receive being nearly doubled to 1,140 a year over the course of the next Scottish Parliament.
Jenny Gorevan, a spokeswoman for the Glasgow branch of the group, said an estimated one in five youngsters was already missing out on the current entitlement.
She said: "How will the First Minister deliver this new, bigger promise if she cannot even give children what they are entitled to now?
"There is already a massive shortfall in places to met the pledge and that is before you factor in variations in demand, staff retirement, geographical spread and parents wanting to pay for two-year-olds not eligible for a free place. The real numbers are likely to be much higher."
The group met Angela Constance, the Education Secretary, to discuss the issue, but claimed she had been unable to answer basic questions about how the pledge was going to be delivered.
Ruth Davidson, leader of the Scottish Conservatives, said the SNP's childcare promises were "falling apart".
She said: "It's clear they don't even know what they need to do to meet their pledge never mind how they are going to get there.
"They have no idea over child numbers, no idea over nursery school buildings and no idea how to pay for any of it. After years of stalling and weasel words it's now clear parents have had enough."
A spokesman for council umbrella group Cosla said local authorities had already faced significant difficulties delivering current expansion plans and called for urgent dialogue on the planned extension.
He said: “The commitment shown by local government and the dedication of staff to get the implementation of 600 hours right in what was a very tight timeframe is in our view absolutely clear.
"Councils had to wrestle with a number of serious practical issues, not all of which they could control, during implementation which has impacted upon the availability of local places.We know the situation is not perfect which is why we need to learn the lessons from the past.
“It is clear that quality of learning and care must come first and that we cannot rush to expand provision further without at the same time dealing with the issues that we know exist now."
Cosla said councils would be pushing for discussions on the issue with the Scottish Government in the coming weeks.
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said the estimated figures assumed nothing would change between now and 2020 to deliver the increase in funded hours. The role of Scotland's 5,500 childminders was also ignored, the government said.
The spokeswoman added: "They also assume that doubling the hours of free childcare available will mean that we will need to double the number of childcare places. This is not true.
"We can reassure parents that preparations are well underway to deliver this massive expansion of 1,140 hours and ensure a place for every eligible child.
"We have already made clear this delivery will cost around £800 million and will result in a significant increase in the early years workforce.
"We will work with local government to ensure the extra money being provided is used to create the new places."
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