1 featured table
Use of childcare by children aged 0-4
Use of formal, informal and any childcare overtime by children aged 0 to 4.
Department for Education
Reporting year 2025
Childcare and early years survey of parents
Nationally representative survey of parents of children aged 0-14 on their use, experiences and views on early education and childcare.
Quick links
Latest release
Next release
All releases in this series- Published
- Last updated
Official statistics
Department for EducationExplore data used in this release
This page provides a range of routes to access data from within this statistical release to suit different users.
Download all data (ZIP)
This includes all data sets, guidance files and any supporting files
More options
Featured tables are pre-prepared tables created from a statistical release's data sets. They provide statistics that are regularly requested by users and can be adapted to switch between different categories.
Data sets: download or create tables
Data sets present comprehensive open data from which users can create their own tables using the EES table tool or download a zipped CSV file.
Supporting files provide an area for teams to supply non-standard files for download by users where required.
Description of the data sets included in this release, including information on data sources, coverage, quality and any data conventions used.
Alternatively use our data catalogue to search and filter for specific data sets from this release or our entire library, providing full data summaries, data previews and access to API data sets.
Featured tables
Featured tables are pre-prepared tables created from a statistical release's data sets. They provide statistics that are regularly requested by some users (such as local councils, regional government or government policy teams) and can be adapted to switch between different categories (such as different geographies, time periods or characteristics where available).
Data sets: download or create tables
Data sets present comprehensive open data from which users can create their own tables using the EES table tool or download a zipped CSV file.
23 data sets available for download
Childcare use by children
National
Share of children aged 0-4 using formal and informal childcare overtime.
- Number of rows
- 144
- Indicators
- Percentage of children using childcare providers in the most recent term time week
- Filters
- Childcare type
- Children aged
- Time period
- 2010 to 2025
Childcare use by families
National
Share of families with children aged 0-4 only, 0-4 and 5-14 and 0-14 only, using formal and informal childcare overtime.
- Number of rows
- 144
- Indicators
- Percentage of families using childcare providers
- Filters
- Child(ren) age
- Childcare type
- Time period
- 2010 to 2025
Childcare use in school holidays
National
Share of families with school-age children using childcare during school holidays overtime.
- Number of rows
- 72
- Indicators
- Proportion
- Filters
- Childcare type
- Time period
- 2008 to 2025
Reasons not using childcare
National
Reasons cited by parents for not using childcare in the last year by broad child ages
- Number of rows
- 144
- Indicators
- Proportion selecting each response
- Filters
- Age of children in family
- Reason selected
- Type of reason: choice or constraint
- Time period
- 2023 to 2025
Changes to provision
National
Changes to local childcare provision, if any, that would be most helpful for making it better suited to parents needs
- Number of rows
- 135
- Indicators
- Proportion selecting reason
- Filters
- Changes to childcare provision that would make it better suited to parents’ needs
- Family and area characteristics
- Time period
- 2023 to 2025
Difficulty paying childcare costs
National
Shares of parents finding it difficult or very difficult to meet their childcare costs by broad child ages overtime
- Number of rows
- 48
- Indicators
- Proportion of parents finding it difficult or very difficult to meet their childcare costs
- Filters
- Age of children in family
- Time period
- 2010 to 2025
Affordability of childcare
National
Parents ratings of the affordability of local childcare overtime.
- Number of rows
- 48
- Indicators
- percentage of parents rating the affordability of local childcare as very or fairly good
- Filters
- age of children in family
- Time period
- 2010 to 2025
Home Learning Environment
National
Proportion of families engaging in home learning activities at least once a day overtime
- Number of rows
- 45
- Indicators
- Proportion of families engaging in HLE activities at least once a day, children aged 0-4
- Filters
- Home learning activities
- Time period
- 2017 to 2025
Home Learning Environment activities
National
Frequency with which children aged 0 to 5 years old engage in different home learning activities
- Number of rows
- 36
- Indicators
- Proportion of families engaging in HL activities at least once a day, children aged 0-4
- Filters
- Frequency with which children engage in home learning activities with someone at home
- Home learning activities
- Time period
- 2025
Maternal work
National
Maternal employment patterns overtime
- Number of rows
- 64
- Indicators
- Percentage of mothers working FT and PT
- Filters
- Mothers working pattern
- Time period
- 2010 to 2025
Work factors
National
Factors that influence mothers going into work by broad child ages
- Number of rows
- 51
- Indicators
- Proportion selecting reason
- Filters
- Age of children in family
- Reason selected
- Time period
- 2025
Quality of childcare
National
Parents' perceptions of the quality of local childcare provision overtime
- Number of rows
- 54
- Indicators
- Percentage of parents rating the quality of local childcare as very or fairly good
- Filters
- Age of children in family
- Time period
- 2008 to 2025
Availability of childcare
National
Parents perceptions of the availability of local childcare provision
- Number of rows
- 54
- Indicators
- Percentage of parents saying the availability of local childcare places is ‘about right’
- Filters
- Age of children in family
- Time period
- 2008 to 2025
Availability not enough
National
Parents' perceptions of the availability of local childcare provision overtime
- Number of rows
- 48
- Indicators
- Percentage of parents saying the availability of local childcare places is ‘not enough’
- Filters
- Age of children in family
- Time period
- 2010 to 2025
Parent perceptions
National
Parents' perceptions of different aspects of local childcare provision overtime
- Number of rows
- 324
- Indicators
- Proportion
- Filters
- Response selected
- Type of perception
- Time period
- 2008 to 2025
Awareness of government support for 2 year olds
National
Awareness of funded support for 2 year olds
- Number of rows
- 32
- Indicators
- Proportion selecting reason
- Filters
- Age of children in family
- Awareness of the entitlement to government funded early education for 2-year-olds
- Family Annual Income
- Time period
- 2025
Funded childcare use by age
National
Use of funded childcare offers by child age
- Number of rows
- 54
- Indicators
- Percentage of children using childcare providers in the most recent term time week
- Filters
- Children aged
- Entitlement type
- Time period
- 2025
Awareness of 9m2yo offer
National
Awareness of funded support for 9 month to 2 year olds
- Number of rows
- 50
- Indicators
- Proportion selecting reason
- Filters
- Awareness of the new funded hours offer
- Family and area characteristics
- Time period
- 2025
Satisfaction with funded hours
National
Satisfaction with the use of funded childcare hours
- Number of rows
- 25
- Indicators
- Proportion selecting satisfaction level
- Filters
- Childcare offer
- Satisfaction
- Time period
- 2025
Impact of funded hours for children 9 months to 2 years
National
Impact of funded childcare for 9 month to 2 year olds on parental employment
- Number of rows
- 8
- Indicators
- Proportion
- Filters
- Children aged
- Were the 15 hours offer not available…
- Time period
- 2025
Awareness of 30 hours for 3 and 4 year olds
National
Awareness of funded support for 3 and 4 year olds
- Number of rows
- 44
- Indicators
- Proportion
- Filters
- Awareness of the 30 hours offer
- Family and area characteristics
- Time period
- 2025
Impact of 30 hours for children aged 3 and 4 on work hours
National
Impact of funded childcare for 3 and 4 year olds on parental work hours
- Number of rows
- 4
- Indicators
- Perceived impact of the 30 hours offer on work
- Filters
- Response options
- Time period
- 2025
Impact of funded hours for 9mto2yo on work choices
National
Impact of funded childcare for 9 month to 2 year olds on parental employment choices
- Number of rows
- 4
- Indicators
- Proportion
- Filters
- Children aged
- Impact on employment choices
- Time period
- 2025
Supporting files
Supporting files provide an area for teams to supply non-standard files for download by users where required.
1 supporting data file
Accompanying Tables
This is a full set of accompanying tables to go with the EES publication.
Data guidance
Description of the data sets included in this release, including information on data sources, coverage, quality and any data conventions used.
Description
This document describes the data sets included in this release, including information on data sources, coverage, quality and any data conventions used.
There are also a set of accompanying tables, referenced at times in the publication text, found under “Additional supporting files”.
The publication methodology section should be referenced alongside this data. It provides methodological information on the survey design, sample, fieldwork, data analysis, interpretation, weighting and definitions used.
Coverage
This publication provides information on a survey of parents with children aged 0 to 14 in England. It covers parents’ use of childcare and early years provision, and their views and experiences, including:
- what childcare is used by different types of families
- what childcare is used by different types of families and children
- changes in take-up of childcare over the years
- parents’ reasons for using or not using childcare and for choosing particular providers
- parents’ views on the providers they used and on childcare provision in their local area in general
- the perceived impacts of the 15 and 30 hours of childcare policy on families and children
- the influence of childcare arrangements on mothers’ decisions about whether to go out to work and working patterns
- the home learning environment
File formats and conventions
- z refers to an observation that is not applicable. This is used for 2019 data as this was completed by parents of 0-4s only.
- x is used when the data is unavailable. This is used when the data was not collected in that year.
- * denotes a percentage value of less than 0.5% but greater than 0%.
Contact us
If you have a specific enquiry about Childcare and early years survey of parents statistics and data:
Early Years Analysis and Research
Email: EY.ANALYSISANDRESEARCH@education.gov.ukContact name: Rachel Murphy
Press office
If you have a media enquiry:
Telephone: 020 7783 8300
Public enquiries
If you have a general enquiry about the Department for Education (DfE) or education:
Phone: 0370 000 2288
Opening times
Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 5.30pm (closed on bank holidays)