Department for Education

Spring term 2025/26 Fifth Wave

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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• Published: 1 September 2026

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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).

18 featured tables

• Ease of entitlement application process by region

  The extent to which respondents agreed the entitlement application process was easy to follow, broken down by region

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• Ease of the working families childcare entitlement application process by annual household income (before tax)

  The extent to which respondents agreed the entitlement application process was easy to follow, broken down by household income (before tax).

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• Comparing childcare waiting lists for respondents who have SEND children and no SEND children

  Whether their child was placed on a waiting list before accessing their entitlement place, broken down by whether respondents look after any children with SEND

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• Restrictions on usage of childcare hours by main childcare type

  Whether there are any restrictions from respondents' main provider about when they can use their funded hours, broken down by the childcare type they claimed the majority of their entitlement hours on

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• Weekly childcare hours by whether respondents look after any children with SEND

  Hours of formal childcare used in a typical week, broken down by whether respondents look after any children with SEND.

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• Reasons for using formal childcare by household income

  What influenced respondents' decisions to use formal childcare, broken down by annual household income

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• Tax free childcare usage

  Whether respondents use tax free childcare

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• Changes in amount of tax free childcare used

  Whether respondents will change the amount of tax free childcare they use (alongside the 30 funded hours they receive)

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• Satisfaction with number of hours offered by childcare provider

  How satisfied respondents were with the number of hours offered by their main childcare provider, overall and broken down by the type of childcare they claimed the majority of entitlement hours on

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• Satisfaction with opening hours of childcare provider

  How satisfied respondents were with the opening hours of their main childcare provider, overall and broken down by the type of childcare they claimed the majority of their entitlement hours on

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• Satisfaction with days per week offered by childcare provider

  How satisfied respondents were with the days per week offered by their main childcare provider, overall and broken down by the type of childcare they claimed the majority of their entitlement hours on

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• Satisfaction with weeks per year offered by childcare provider

  How satisfied respondents were with the weeks per year offered by their main childcare provider, overall and broken down by the type of childcare they claimed the majority of entitlement hours on

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• Additional charges paid to providers

  Proportion of respondents who paid various types of additional childcare charges

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• Change in working hours since respondents started claiming entitlements by whether look after any children with SEND

  How respondents' working hours have changed since they started claiming childcare entitlements, broken down by whether respondents look after any children with SEND

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• Change in working hours since respondents started claiming entitlements by respondent disability

  How respondents' working hours have changed since they started claiming childcare entitlements, broken down by whether respondent had a disability

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• Influence of childcare entitlement on change in working hours by weekly childcare hours used

  How influential respondents thought childcare entitlements were in their decision to change their working hours, broken down by affordability of childcare and SEND responsibility

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• Influence by childcare hours on increasing working hours

  How influential respondents though the childcare entitlement was on increasing working hours, by income bracket and SEND responsibility

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• Reasons for respondents decreasing their working hours following the entitlement expansion

  Reasons for respondents decreasing their working hours following the entitlement expansion

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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.

27 data sets available for download

Download all (ZIP)

• Section 2 - Ease of the working families childcare entitlement process

  National

  Whether survey respondents agreed that the application process was easy.

  • Number of rows: 70
  • Indicators:
    • Proportion of respondents
  • Filters:
    • Demographic group
    • Whether agree that application process was easy
  • Time period: 2026

  Data set information page
  Create table

• Section 2 - Ease of the working families childcare entitlement process by region

  National, Regional

  Whether survey respondents agreed that the application process was easy, broken down by region of England.

  • Number of rows: 50
  • Indicators:
    • Proportion of respondents
  • Filters:
    • Whether agree that application process was easy
  • Time period: 2026

  Data set information page
  Create table

• Section 2 - Accessing the 30 hours funded working families childcare entitlement

  National

  Whether respondents were accessing the 30 hours of funded childcare entitlement, by SEND.

  • Number of rows: 22
  • Indicators:
    • Proportion of respondents
  • Filters:
    • Demographic group
    • Whether accessing 30 hours working parents entitlements
  • Time period: 2026

  Data set information page
  Create table

• Section 2 - Accessing the 30 hours funded working families childcare entitlement by region

  National, Regional

  Whether respondents were accessing the 30 hours of funded childcare entitlement, by region of England.

  • Number of rows: 20
  • Indicators:
    • Proportion of respondents
  • Filters:
    • Whether accessing 30 hours working parents entitlements
  • Time period: 2026

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  Create table

• Section 3 - Waiting lists

  National

  Whether respondents were placed on a waiting list before they could access the childcare entitlement, by SEND.

  • Number of rows: 8
  • Indicators:
    • Proportion of respondents
  • Filters:
    • Demographic group
    • Whether placed on waiting list before accessing entitlement
  • Time period: 2026

  Data set information page
  Create table

• Section 3 - Challenges finding a childcare place

  National

  What challenges did respondents face while finding a place for their child, by SEND.

  • Number of rows: 54
  • Indicators:
    • Proportion of respondents
  • Filters:
    • Challenges experienced finding a childcare place
    • Demographic group
  • Time period: 2026

  Data set information page
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• Section 3 - Restrictions on usage of funded childcare hours

  National

  Whether respondents faced restrictions on when they could use their funded hours.

  • Number of rows: 12
  • Indicators:
    • Proportion of respondents
  • Filters:
    • Any provider restrictions on when funded hours can be used
    • Demographic group
  • Time period: 2026

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• Section 4 - Factors influencing respondent's decision to use formal childcare

  National

  What factors were most influential in respondent's decision to use formal childcare.

  • Number of rows: 91
  • Indicators:
    • Proportion of respondents
  • Filters:
    • Demographic group
    • Reasons for using formal childcare
  • Time period: 2026

  Data set information page
  Create table

• Section 4 - Hours per week spent in formal childcare

  National

  How many hours per week respondent's child was spending in formal childcare arrangements, by SEND.

  • Number of rows: 12
  • Indicators:
    • Mean hours of childcare used per week
    • Median hours of childcare used per week
  • Filters:
    • Demographic group
  • Time period: 2026

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• Section 4 - Hours per week spent in formal childcare by region

  National, Regional

  How many hours per week respondent's child was spending in formal childcare arrangements, by region.

  • Number of rows: 10
  • Indicators:
    • Mean hours of childcare used per week
    • Median hours of childcare used per week
  • Time period: 2026

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  Create table

• Section 4 - Satisfaction with number of hours offered by childcare provider

  National

  Satisfaction with number of hours offered by childcare provider on a five-point scale.

  • Number of rows: 20
  • Indicators:
    • Proportion of respondents
  • Filters:
    • Demographic group
    • Satisfaction with the number of childcare hours offered by main provider
  • Time period: 2026

  Data set information page
  Create table

• Section 4 - Satisfaction with opening hours of childcare provider

  National

  Satisfaction with opening hours offered by childcare provider on a five-point scale.

  • Number of rows: 20
  • Indicators:
    • Proportion of respondents
  • Filters:
    • Demographic group
    • Satisfaction with opening hours of main provider
  • Time period: 2026

  Data set information page
  Create table

• Section 4 - Satisfaction with days per week offered by childcare provider

  National

  Satisfaction with number of hours offered by childcare provider on a five-point scale.

  • Number of rows: 20
  • Indicators:
    • Proportion of respondents
  • Filters:
    • Demographic group
    • Satisfaction with days per week offered by main provider
  • Time period: 2026

  Data set information page
  Create table

• Section 4 - Satisfaction with weeks per year offered by childcare provider

  National

  Satisfaction with weeks offered by childcare provider on a five-point scale.

  • Number of rows: 20
  • Indicators:
    • Proportion of respondents
  • Filters:
    • Demographic group
    • Satisfaction with weeks per year offered by main provider
  • Time period: 2026

  Data set information page
  Create table

• Section 6 - Changes in working hours since respondents started claiming working families entitlements

  National

  The value-change in working hours since the respondent began claiming the 30 hours of funded entitlement in September 2025.

  • Number of rows: 68
  • Indicators:
    • Proportion of respondents
  • Filters:
    • Change in working hours since respondent started claiming entitlements
    • Demographic group
  • Time period: 2026

  Data set information page
  Create table

• Section 6 - Changes in working hours since respondents started claiming working families entitlements by region

  National, Regional

  The value-change in working hours since the respondent began claiming the 30 hours of funded entitlement in September 2025, by region.

  • Number of rows: 40
  • Indicators:
    • Proportion of respondents
  • Filters:
    • Change in working hours since respondent started claiming entitlements
  • Time period: 2026

  Data set information page
  Create table

• Section 6 - Influence of the expansion to Early Years childcare entitlements on affording more childcare

  National

  How influential the childcare expansion has been on the respondent being able to afford more childcare, on a five-point scale.

  • Number of rows: 56
  • Indicators:
    • Proportion of respondents
  • Filters:
    • Demographic group
    • Influence of entitlements on respondent affording more childcare
  • Time period: 2026

  Data set information page
  Create table

• Section 6 - Increases in working hours since respondents started claiming working families entitlements

  National

  Reasons for an increase in working hours since the respondent began claiming working families entitlements, by SEND.

  • Number of rows: 147
  • Indicators:
    • Proportion of respondents
  • Filters:
    • Demographic group
    • Increase in working hours since childcare entitlement expansion
  • Time period: 2026

  Data set information page
  Create table

• Section 6 - Decreases in working hours since respondents started claiming working families entitlements

  National

  Reasons for a decrease in working hours since the respondent began claiming working families entitlements, by SEND.

  • Number of rows: 189
  • Indicators:
    • Proportion of respondents
  • Filters:
    • Decrease in working hours since childcare entitlement expansion
    • Demographic group
  • Time period: 2026

  Data set information page
  Create table

• Section 3 - What restrictions faced on usage of childcare hours

  National

  What restrictions were faced on the usage of childcare hours in formal childcare provision.

  • Number of rows: 7
  • Indicators:
    • Proportion of respondents
  • Filters:
    • Provider restrictions on when funded hours can be used
  • Time period: 2026

  Data set information page
  Create table

• Section 4 - Other support childcare usage

  National

  What childcare arrangements were used by respondent for their child.

  • Number of rows: 6
  • Indicators:
    • Proportion of respondents
  • Filters:
    • Whether uses other support childcare
  • Time period: 2026

  Data set information page
  Create table

• Section 4 - Tax free childcare change in amount used

  National

  The variation in the amount of tax free childcare claimed by respondents since they began claiming working families entitlement.

  • Number of rows: 4
  • Indicators:
    • Proportion of respondents
  • Filters:
    • Will change the amount of tax free childcare used?
  • Time period: 2026

  Data set information page
  Create table

• Section 2 - Reasons for not accessing the 30 hours funded working families childcare entitlement

  National

  Reasons for not accessing the working families entitlement.

  • Number of rows: 15
  • Indicators:
    • Proportion of respondents
  • Filters:
    • Reason not used working parents entitlement
  • Time period: 2026

  Data set information page
  Create table

• Section 5 - Additional extra charges paid to providers

  National

  Fixed and optional additional costs paid by respondents at their child's childcare provision(s).

  • Number of rows: 24
  • Indicators:
    • Proportion of respondents
  • Filters:
    • Additional charges from childcare provider
    • Whether charge must be paid to take up place
  • Time period: 2026

  Data set information page
  Create table

• Section 4 - Childcare arrangements used

  National

  Childcare types used by respondents.

  • Number of rows: 30
  • Indicators:
    • Proportion of respondents
  • Filters:
    • Demographic group
    • Types of childcare arrangement
  • Time period: 2026

  Data set information page
  Create table

• Section 5 - Change in childcare costs since entitlements extended in September 2025

  National

  Change in childcare costs since the childcare entitlement was introduced in September 2025.

  • Number of rows: 27
  • Indicators:
    • Proportion of respondents
  • Filters:
    • Change in childcare costs since September 2025
    • Demographic group
  • Time period: 2026

  Data set information page
  Create table

• Section 5 - Change in childcare costs since entitlements extended in September 2025 by region

  National, Regional

  Change in childcare costs since the childcare entitlement was introduced in September 2025, by region.

  • Number of rows: 30
  • Indicators:
    • Proportion of respondents
  • Filters:
    • Change in childcare costs since April 2024
  • Time period: 2026

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  Create table

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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 collected through the fifth wave of the Childcare Experiences Survey (CES).

Coverage

The data used in this publication relates to parents living in England and is based on their experiences of using funded childcare provision. The underlying dataset includes information on children aged 9 months to 4 years and provides breakdowns by household income, special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), disability status, and region.

File formats and convention

The underlying data files contain unrounded estimates derived from survey responses.

No disclosure control measures have been applied, as the data is not considered sensitive and does not include additional demographic or geographic variables that could be used to identify individuals.

Data files

All data files associated with this release are listed below, together with guidance on their contents. To download these files, please visit the data catalogue.

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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.uk
Contact name: Julia Moldawan

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