Expansion to early childcare entitlements: Childcare Experiences Survey
Initial outputs from DfE's Childcare Experiences Survey (aka “Your Childcare”), understanding working parents' experiences of the expanded childcare entitlement
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Headline facts and figures
First choice of provider
89%
of parents who chose to use formal childcare arrangements were able to get a place at their first choice of provider.
Ease of application
79%
of respondents found the application process easy to follow.
What does it mean?
Proportion of respondents who strongly agreed/agreed to the following statement: “The application process for the working families childcare entitlement was easy to follow”.
Affordability of childcare
57%
of respondents agreed that the amount they pay for childcare per month is affordable for their family.
How was this measured?
This is the proportion of formal childcare users who indicated either 'Agree' or 'Strongly agree' in response to the following statement: "The amount I pay for childcare per month is affordable for my family".
Increased working hours
11%
of respondents increased working hours since they started claiming the working families childcare entitlement.
What does this refer to?
Proportion of respondents currently working full-time, part-time or self-employed who reported an increase in their working hours since they started claiming the working families childcare entitlements. This figure does not show the causal impact of the entitlement on hours worked.
Decreased working hours
25%
of respondents decreased working hours since they started claiming the working families childcare entitlement.
What does this mean?
Proportion of respondents currently working full-time, part-time or self-employed who reported an decrease in their working hours since they started claiming the working families childcare entitlements. This figure does not show the causal impact of the entitlement on hours worked.
Reason for decreased working hours
59%
of parents reported decreasing their working hours to spend more time with their child.
Accessing formal (paid for) early years provision
- 89% of respondents who reported using formal childcare arrangements (e.g., nursery/pre-school, nursery class attached to primary school and/or a childminder) were able to get a childcare place at their first choice of provider.
- 30% were placed on a waiting list before they could access their working families childcare entitlement or are currently on a waiting list (if respondents are not currently claiming the entitlement).
Experiences of applying for 30 hours childcare for eligible working families in England, via Childcare Choices
- The majority of respondents (79%) strongly agreed/agreed that the application process for the working families’ childcare entitlement was easy to follow.
- Take-up of the working parents entitlement was lower among households earning under £20,000 (90%) than among households earning £80,000 to £100,000 or more (98%).
Perception of affordability of formal childcare
- 57% of parents who use formal childcare arrangements agreed with the statement "The amount I pay for childcare per month is affordable for my family".
Change in working hours since parents started claiming entitlements
- Since parents began claiming entitlements 11% of respondents increased their working hours, 25% decreased their working hours, and 62% did not change the number of hours they work.
- Respondents who reported having a lower household income (below £39,999) were more likely to increase their working hours than those in higher income households. For example, 19% respondents with a household income of between £20,000 and £39,999 increased their working hours compared to 8% among those earning £100,000 and more.
- Respondents in the middle-income groups (household income of between £40,000 and £79,999) were more likely to report decreasing their working hours than other groups.
- Changes in working hours can occur for a variety of reasons, for example switching from full-time work to part-time work after having a child. These figures do not show the causal impact of the entitlement on hours worked.
Influence of the working families' childcare entitlements in changing respondents' working hours
- 85% of respondents who increased their working hours as a result of being able to afford more childcare, said that the working families entitlement has helped them afford it. This is around 3% of all survey respondents.
Section 1: Background and household characteristics
Background
The amount of financial support available to parents, in the form of government-funded childcare, has been extended. The new measures expanded the existing system by offering up to 30 hours of funded childcare per week, for 38 weeks of the year, to eligible parents of children aged nine months to four years old.
As of September 2025, all phases of this expansion had been successfully rolled-out. The survey, which was active between March and May 2026, sought to quantify parents' experiences of:
- Applying to access the 30 hours funded childcare hours entitlement for working families,
- Using childcare providers in their area for their child who is receiving funded childcare,
- How parents' childcare and employment arrangements work for them and their family.
Introduction
This section provides an overview of the current sample characteristics.
Issued sample
The current cohort consists of a stratified random sample of 31,500 who were selected from a base population of 400,000 customers who:
- had a live Child Benefit Claim
- had applied for a new eligibility code for the expanded childcare entitlements between 1st September 2025–31st December 2025 (child to start childcare from January 2026)
- had a child claimed for born between (and including) 31st December 2023 and 31th March 2025 (i.e. aged 9 months to 2 years at the time of sampling).
The sample was initially stratified by region in England. Additional sampling was then undertaken in regions with high levels of economic inactivity, particularly in Northern England, to increase the representation of parents in lower-income areas.
Achieved sample
A total of 4,185 respondents in England completed the survey between March and May 2026, representing a response rate of 8%. This figure excludes 687 respondents who were screened out because they did not meet the eligibility criteria, or who exited the survey before completing the first question. Respondents who provided invalid postcode data were also excluded from the analysis. The final analytical sample comprised 4,081 individuals.
Household Characteristics
Respondents were asked questions about themselves and their household—including basic information regarding themselves and those they live with, including children. Results may not equal 100 percent due to rounding. All figures given are weighted proportions, except for the most common ages of children in households.
- 90% of respondents were female.
- 98% of respondents were living with a partner.
- Families had between 1 and 8 children (aged 17 years and under) living in their household. Most households (51%) reported having one child (standard deviation = 0.7) at their current address. 38% had 2 children.
- Most of the children in the surveyed sample of households were aged 1 year (47%) and 2 years (13%).
Children with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND)
- 7% of all respondents had a child with SEND at home.
- When asked to what extent caring for a child with SEND impacted their ability to work, 32% responded “a little”, 21% “a moderate amount”, and 17% “a great deal”.
Parents with a disability
- There was a small proportion of respondents with a disability amongst surveyed households (4%).
- The majority of these respondents said their disability does not impact their ability to work (68%) compared to those reporting that it does (22%).
Parents with caring responsibilities for other people in their household over the age of 18
- There was a small proportion of respondents with caring responsibilities amongst surveyed households (3%).
- The majority of these respondents said their caring responsibilities do not impact their ability to work (77%), compared to those reporting that it does (21%).
Employment status
- At the time of the survey, 43% of respondents were working full-time as an employee, 46% part-time as an employee, and 7% were self-employed or freelance.
- At the time of the survey, 78% of respondents' partners were working full-time as an employee, 7% part-time as an employee, and 14% were self-employed or freelance.
Parents' household annual income (before tax)
- Lowest household income: 4% of parents had a household income of less than £20,000.
- Lower household income: 11% of parents had a household income between £20,000-£39,999.
- Middle household income: 20% of parents had a household income between £40,000-£59,999.
- Middle household income: 26% of parents had a household income between £60,000-£79,999.
- Higher household income: 23% of parents had a household income between £80,000-£99,999.
- Highest household income: 16% of parents had a household income of more than £100,000.
Further information
More detailed information, including sample sizes, can be found in additional tables available in the “supporting files” section and the Methodology section of this release.
Find out more: information on eligibility criteria (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab).
Section 2: Experiences of applying for the working parents entitlement via Childcare Choices
Introduction
This section reports respondents' perceptions of the ease of applying for the working families childcare entitlement; the proportion of respondents who received a childcare eligibility code and went on to claim the childcare offer; and the main reasons for not claiming the childcare offered.
Findings
Ease of the working families childcare entitlement application process
79% of respondents strongly agree/agree with the following statement: “The application process for the working families childcare entitlement was easy to follow”.
Disability status: 17% of respondents with a disability disagreed or strongly disagreed that the process was easy, which is a slightly higher proportion compared to 12% of respondents with no disabilities who disagreed with that statement.
SEND: Respondents who have a child with SEND in their household reported a similar level of agreement with the statement that the entitlement application process was easy to follow (81%), compared to those without any children with SEND (80%).
Age of child claimed for: Across all age groups, the majority of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that the application process was easy to follow. The proportion of respondents who disagreed or strongly disagreed was similar across age groups. 81% of parents of 2 and 3 year-olds agreed with the statement, and 79% of parents of children aged 1 and under agreed with the statement.
Accessing the 30 hours working families entitlements
In general, a majority of respondents (96%) who received a childcare eligibility code went on to claim their 30 hours funded childcare offered.
Household income: A higher proportion of respondents with higher household incomes annually (between £60,000 - £100,000 or more) reported accessing the 30 hours funded working families childcare entitlement (97%), compared with respondents with a household income of less than £20,000 (90%).
SEND: Across both groups (has SEND children, no SEND children), the majority of respondents (94% and 97%, respectively) were accessing the 30 hours funded working families childcare entitlements.
By region: Across all regions, there was high uptake of the 30 hours funded working families childcare entitlement. Respondents in the North West and Yorkshire and the Humber (98%) reported the highest uptake compared to respondents in the South East (94%). This difference is too small to make meaningful conclusions, and regional trends vary between surveys.
Reasons for not using the working families childcare entitlement
At the time of the survey, 4% of parents were not accessing the 30 hours funded working families childcare entitlement. When asked to select the main reason for not claiming the entitlement, 21% indicated that this is because of choosing alternative childcare provision that wasn't eligible for the funded hours (for instance relying on grandparents, friends, or babysitters). 20% of parents were waiting for a childcare place to become available for their child, while 15% were waiting for the child to start childcare next term.
Section 3: Barriers to finding and using early years provision
Introduction
This section reports proportions of respondents who were on a waiting list before accessing the entitlement or were not on a waiting list at the time of the survey; the different challenges experienced by respondents when finding a childcare place; and, the number of respondents facing restrictions from their childcare provider about when they can use their funded childcare hours.
Findings
Accessing formal (paid for) early years provision
Approximately 9 in 10 parents (89%) who reported using formal childcare arrangements (e.g., nursery/pre-school, nursery class attached to primary school and or a childminder) were able to get a childcare place at their first choice of provider.
Whether accessing entitlements: For respondents who had gone on to claim their 30 hours childcare entitlement, around 3 in 10 (29%) reported being placed on a waiting list by their childcare provider before they could access their working families childcare entitlement. Meanwhile, of respondents who were not claiming their 30 hours funded childcare at the time of the survey, 46% said their child was currently on a waiting list from their provider.
Challenges experienced when finding suitable childcare
33% of all respondents encountered no challenges when finding a childcare place. Whereas, 30% experienced challenges finding childcare affordable to them, 29% found it challenging to find suitable childcare for their preferences, and 26% had difficulties securing a place at their preferred provider. Respondents were able to select more than one option for this question.
SEND: Respondents with and without a child with SEND in their household report similar overall experiences finding a childcare place. However, a higher proportion of respondents who had a child with SEND in their household, compared to those without, reported challenges finding childcare that was affordable to them (34% vs 29%).
Provider restrictions
A majority of respondents reported not facing any restrictions from their main childcare provider about when they can use their funded childcare hours (69%).
When respondents could use their funded childcare hours:
Around 1 in 5 parents reported restrictions on how they could use their funded childcare hours. Among those affected, the most common restriction was being limited to a set number of funded hours per day (35%). Other frequently reported restrictions were having to use funded hours for full days (27%) and only being able to use them at specific times during the day (23%).
Section 4: Using childcare
Introduction
This section reports the proportions of respondents using formal (paid for) and informal (unpaid) types of early years provision for their child; factors influencing parents' decision to use formal childcare; and the average number of hours children receiving the funded entitlement spend in childcare per week.
Findings
Types of childcare arrangements respondents are using
The most common childcare arrangement was nurseries or pre-schools (84%), followed by grandparents (36%). Only 14% of respondents used childminders.
Childcare use differed by whether parents claimed the 30-hours entitlement. Among claimants, 85% used nurseries or pre-schools, 35% relied on grandparents, and 14% used childminders.
Among non-claimants, grandparents were the most common source of childcare (54%), followed by nurseries or pre-schools (38%). In addition, 15% reported that their child was not receiving childcare from any of the listed sources.
Parents could select multiple options, so some were using more than one type of childcare.
Factors influencing parent’s decision to use formal childcare
Among respondents who reported using at least one type of formal paid childcare arrangement (e.g., nurseries, pre-school, childminders, nanny or au pair), 87% indicated that it enables them to work. Other common reasons included formal childcare being important for their child's social development (76%), emotional development (65%), and physical development (57%).
Hours spent in formal (paid for) early years provision
Respondents who selected either nursery or pre-school, nursery class attached to primary or infants' school, or a childminder, were asked to report the number of hours in total per week their child receiving funded childcare entitlement spends in formal childcare (including both government funded and hours parents may pay for).
The median number of hours all respondents reported their child spending in formal childcare per week was 30 hours (standard deviation = 9.4). The high standard deviation indicates substantial variability in the number of hours used.
Household income: Higher-income households reported a higher number of hours their child spends in formal childcare each week. Specifically, for respondents with a household income of £100,000 or more, the median number of hours children spend per week in formal childcare was 30 hours, compared to 24 hours per week for respondents with a household income of less than £20,000.
By region: Households in the North West, West Midlands, London, and the South East reported using more hours of formal childcare per week (median = 30 hours) than in other English regions. The lowest number of hours child spent in formal childcare per week was reported by parents in the North East of England (median = 24 hours).
Type of childcare parents are claiming majority of their entitlement hours in
A higher proportion of respondents who had gone onto claim their 30 hours of funded childcare at the time of the survey, were claiming the majority of their entitlement hours in a nursery or pre-school (85%), compared to a childminder (14%), and nursery class attached to primary or infants' school (3%).
Respondents who claimed the majority of their entitlement on childminders or in a nursery or pre-school reported their child spending more hours per week in that setting (median = 30 hours) compared with a nursery class attached to primary or infants' school (mean = 27 hours).
Section 5: Provider fees and charges
Introduction
This section focuses on respondents experiences of paying for childcare, specifically for their child who is receiving the funded childcare entitlement and any changes in childcare costs since the expanded entitlement became available in September 2025.
Findings
Change in childcare costs
Respondents were asked if their child started in formal (paid for) childcare before they started claiming the expanded entitlement. For those who said 'Yes', the majority reported their childcare costs had decreased (70%), whilst 18% reported an increase in their childcare costs, and 12% had stayed the same following the expansion of the working families childcare entitlements from September 2025.
Note that respondents may have changed the amount of childcare they use over this period, which would be reflected in their costs.
Entitlement funded providers: Across the three types of paid early years provision where parents can claim their entitlement hours, a similar proportion of respondents reported a reduction in childcare costs since September 2025 for childminders (77%), compared with a nursery or pre-school (69%). The sample of parents who have been using school-based nurseries who answered this question was very low (94 parents).
Change in childcare costs since September 2025 by household income
Reduction in childcare costs: A higher proportion of higher-income households reported a reduction in childcare costs since the introduction of the entitlement. Specifically, 75% of respondents earning £60,000-£79,999 reported a reduction—in contrast, 49% of households with incomes of less than £20,000 reported a reduction.
My childcare costs have stayed the same: 38% of households with incomes of less than £20,000 reported their childcare costs staying the same, whereas only 7% of households with incomes of £100,000 or more have reported their childcare costs staying the same.
Note that respondents may have changed the amount of childcare they use over this period, which would be reflected in their costs changing.
By region: Households in the South East (24%) reported the highest increase in childcare costs since the expansion to early years childcare entitlements. Only 9% of households in the South West reported an increase in childcare costs since September 2025.
Additional hours and charges
Data on the types of additional charges parents pay is available in the View or create your own tables tool.
Section 6: Changes in respondents' employment patterns and childcare usage following the entitlements expansion
Changes in working hours since parents started claiming entitlements
Introduction
This section reports on how respondents' working hours have changed since they started claiming the working families childcare entitlements, and the extent to which respondents view the expanded entitlement offer as influential in their change in working hours. Changes in working hours can occur for a variety of reasons, for example switching from full-time work to part-time work after having a child. These figures do not show the causal impact of the entitlement on hours worked.
Findings
62% of parents who were working full-time, part-time or self-employed at the time of the survey, reported no change in their working hours since they started claiming working families' childcare entitlements. In contrast, 11% saw an increase and 25% saw a decrease in their working hours.
By household income
No change: A much higher proportion of households earning £100,000 or more said their working hours stayed the same compared with those earning less than £20,000 (71% vs 53%).
Working hours have decreased: 28% of respondents with a household income of between £60,000 and £79,999 reported a decrease in working hours—the highest of any income group. This proportion was the lowest for those earning £100,000 and more. There is no clear linear trend in the proportion of respondents decreasing their working hours, but the proportion of parents decreasing their working hours appears to be higher among those from middle-income households.
Working hours have increased: the highest proportion of respondents who reported increasing their working hours was observed among those with a household income of between £20,000 and £39,999. 19% of parents in that group increased their working hours. There is a visible trend where a greater proportion of parents from lower-income households reported increasing their working hours than those from higher-income households'
Breakdowns by household income and SEND responsibility represent small samples and results should be interpretated with caution.
By region: Yorkshire and the Humber had the highest proportion of respondents whose working hours had decreased (34%), Whereas the South West, West and East Midlands reported the highest increase in working hours (13%). London reported higher proportions of respondents saying their hours had stayed the same since they started claiming the working families' childcare entitlements (66%).
Reasons for increasing working hours
Among parents who increased their working hours after starting to claim the entitlement, for most (46%) this was because of taking on additional hours or starting a new job. The next most common reason was being able to afford more childcare (30%), followed closely by returning to work after parental leave (28%).
Reasons for increased childcare affordability
Of those that stated their working hours had increased due to being able to afford more childcare, 85% said this was due to the availability of the working families entitlement. As this group accounts for just 3% of the total sample, the findings should not be considered statistically significant evidence of the entitlement's effect on childcare affordability.
Reasons for decreasing working hours
Among parents who reduced their working hours after starting to claim the entitlement, the most common reason was to spend more time with their child (59%). The next most frequently reported reason, selected by 56% of parents, indicated that the decision to reduce working hours was motivated by the perception of the cost of additional childcare as exceeding the financial benefits of working extra hours. This second option was introduced in Wave 5 in response to feedback from parents in the ‘Other’ free-text responses to the previous survey.
Section 7: Comparison with previous surveys
The results of this survey can be compared with the previous release of Childcare Experiences Survey which can be found here:
Both Wave 4 and Wave 5 survey data was collected during the rollout of expanded eligibility for 30 hours of government-funded childcare for working parents of children aged 9 months to 2 years. The sample size in Wave 4 was around 860 respondents smaller than Wave 5 meaning some differences in results may reflect sampling variation rather than genuine changes.
Overall, both surveys show a similar experience of parents claiming the entitlement.
Comparison of main trends:
Accessing formal (paid for early years provision):
- A similar proportion of parents who reported using formal childcare arrangements were able to get a childcare place at their first choice of provider in both waves. This proportion was higher by two percentage points in Wave 4, at 91%.
- Among those who do not currently claim the entitlement, the proportion of parents whose children were placed on a waiting list for childcare is similar in both waves (45% in Wave 4 and 46% in Wave 5).
Experiences of applying for 30 hours childcare for eligible working families in England, via Childcare Choices:
- Slightly more respondents in Wave 5 agree with the statement ‘The application process for the working families’ childcare entitlement’ was easy to follow (79% in Wave 5, 75% in Wave 4).
- In both waves, the lowest income households (earning less than £20,000) were less likely to claim the working parents entitlement than higher income households (earning £80,000 to £100,000 or more). This proportion has improved for the first group, raising from 83% of parents claiming the entitlement in Wave 4 to 90% in Wave 5.
- The proportion of claimants in the highest income group was similar in Wave 4 (at 97%) to Wave 5 (98%). The sample size of the lowest income group represents a small proportion (6% of respondents in Wave 4 and 4% of the sample in Wave 5 were in that income group), therefore, caution is advised with interpreting the results.
Perception of affordability of formal childcare:
- 57% of parents in Wave 5 agreed with the statement "The amount I pay for childcare per month is affordable for my family" (for formal childcare arrangements). The proportion of parents agreeing with the statement in Wave 4 was higher, at 63%.
Change in working hours since parents started claiming entitlements:
- In both waves, the majority of parents reported no change in the number of hours they work after they started claiming the entitlement (65% in Wave 4 and 62% in Wave 5).
- The overall proportion of parents reporting a decrease to their working hours was only slightly higher in Wave 5 (at 25%) than in Wave 4 (at 23%).
- The overall proportion of parents who reported working more hours after they started claiming the entitlement was the same in both surveys, at 11%.
- A similar trend was observed across the two waves, where the lower-income households (below £39,999) are more likely to report an increase in working hours than those in higher income households.
Contact us
If you have a specific enquiry about Expansion to early childcare entitlements: Childcare Experiences Survey statistics and data:
Early Years Entitlements Evaluation and Analysis Team
Email: Your.childcare@education.gov.ukContact name: Julia Moldawan
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