Autumn term 2024/25

Expansion to early childcare entitlements: Childcare Experiences Survey

Data guidance

Published 12 May 2025

Description

The publication methodology, available on the publication report, should be referenced alongside this data. It provides methodological information on the survey design, sample, fieldwork, data analysis, interpretation and definitions used.

Coverage

This publication provides information on a survey of parents [who received a childcare code for their children aged 9 months to 2 years]. It covers parents’ experiences finding, applying for and using childcare provision and changes to their employment, including:

1. Household characteristics of survey respondents
2. Respondents' experiences of the entitlement application process
3. Barriers to accessing childcare such as waiting lists, challenges when applying and restrictions from providers
4. Types of childcare used, reasons for using childcare and satisfaction with provision
5. Changing costs of childcare and additional charges respondents pay to providers
6. Changes in respondents' employment patterns and childcare usage following the entitlements expansion

Data files

All data files associated with this releases are listed below with guidance on their content. To download any of these files, please visit our data catalogue.

Section 2 - Ease of the working families childcare entitlement process

• Filename: ease_of_application_process.csv
• Geographic levels: National
• Time period: 2024
• Content:
  The extent respondents agreed the entitlement application process was easy to follow, broken down by several demographics.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
count	Number of respondents
demographic_group	Demographic group
easy_application	Whether agree that application process was easy
percent	Proportion of respondents

Footnotes

1. Respondents were asked to indicate whether any children in their household have Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND).  Those who answered "Yes" for any of their children, even if not the child the entitlements were claimed for, are labelled "has SEND children".
2. For the majority of respondents who were claiming entitlements for one child, the age of the oldest child refers to the age of the child receiving government-funded childcare.  For respondents claiming entitlements for more than one child, it refers to the age of the oldest child for whom the working families' entitlement was applied.  The child's age was recorded at the time of the survey. Some children who were 2 years old when the entitlement was applied for may have turned 3 by the time of the survey.
3. Some breakdowns may be based on a small number of respondents.  These should be interpreted with caution.
4. Respondents were asked on a 5 point-Likert scale to what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement: “The application process for the working families childcare entitlement was easy to follow”.

Section 2 - Accessing the 15 hours funded working families childcare entitlement

• Filename: whether_accessing_entitlements.csv
• Geographic levels: National
• Time period: 2024
• Content:
  Whether respondents were accessing the working parents childcare entitlement, broken down by several demographics.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
accessing_entitlement	Whether accessing 15 hours working parents entitlements
count	Number of respondents
demographic_group	Demographic group
percent	Proportion of respondents

Footnotes

1. Respondents were asked to indicate whether any children in their household have Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND).  Those who answered "Yes" for any of their children, even if not the child the entitlements were claimed for, are labelled "has SEND children".
2. Some breakdowns may be based on a small number of respondents.  These should be interpreted with caution.

Section 2 - Reasons for not accessing the 15 hours funded working families childcare entitlement

• Filename: reasons_not_used_entitlement.csv
• Geographic levels: National
• Time period: 2024
• Content:
  Reasons respondents were not using their childcare entitlements

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
count	Number of respondents
demographic_group	Demographic group
percent	Proportion of respondents
reason_not_used_entitlement	Reason not used working parents entitlement

Footnotes

1. Percentages do not sum to 100, as respondents could select multiple options for this question.
2. Some breakdowns may be based on a small number of respondents.  These should be interpreted with caution.

Section 3 - Waiting lists

• Filename: waitlists.csv
• Geographic levels: National
• Time period: 2024
• Content:
  Whether children were placed on a waitlist before accessing entitlements, or are currently on a waiting list (for respondents not currently claiming their entitlement), broken down by several demographics.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
count	Number of respondents
demographic_group	Demographic group
percent	Proportion of respondents
placed_on_waitlist	Whether placed on waiting list before accessing entitlement

Footnotes

1. Respondents were asked to indicate whether any children in their household have Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND).  Those who answered "Yes" for any of their children, even if not the child the entitlements were claimed for, are labelled "has SEND children".
2. If the child receiving government funded childcare was on a waiting list at the time of the survey, they may or may not still be on that waiting list, depending on whether they are now accessing the entitlement.

Section 3 - Challenges finding a childcare place

• Filename: challenges_finding_childcare_place.csv
• Geographic levels: National
• Time period: 2024
• Content:
  Challenges experienced when finding a childcare place, broken down by several demographics.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
challenges_finding_place	Challenges experienced finding a childcare place
count	Number of respondents
demographic_group	Demographic group
percent	Proportion of respondents

Footnotes

1. Respondents were asked to indicate whether any children in their household have Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND).  Those who answered "Yes" for any of their children, even if not the child the entitlements were claimed for, are labelled "has SEND children".
2. Percentages do not sum to 100, as respondents could select multiple options for this question.
3. Some breakdowns may be based on a small number of respondents.  These should be interpreted with caution.

Section 3 - Restrictions on usage of funded childcare hours

• Filename: restrictions_on_hours.csv
• Geographic levels: National
• Time period: 2024
• Content:
  Whether there are any restrictions from respondents' main provider about when they can use their funded hours. Data is given for all respondents (Total) and broken down by main childcare type.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
count	Number of respondents
demographic_group	Demographic group
percent	Proportion of respondents
restrictions_on_using_hours	Any provider restrictions on when funded hours can be used

Footnotes

1. Some breakdowns may be based on a small number of respondents.  These should be interpreted with caution.

Section 4 - Childcare arrangements used

• Filename: childcare_types_used.csv
• Geographic levels: National
• Time period: 2024
• Content:
  Proportions of respondents reporting using each type of childcare arrangement.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
childcare_types_used	Types of childcare arrangement
count	Number of respondents
demographic_group	Demographic group
percent	Proportion of respondents

Footnotes

1. Percentages do not sum to 100, as respondents could select multiple options for this question.
2. Some breakdowns may be based on a small number of respondents.  These should be interpreted with caution.

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

• Filename: reasons_using_formal_childcare.csv
• Geographic levels: National
• Time period: 2024
• Content:
  Reasons respondents use formal childcare. Data is given for all respondents (Total) and broken down by household income.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
count	Number of respondents
demographic_group	Demographic group
percent	Proportion of respondents
reason_use_formal_childcare	Reasons for using formal childcare

Footnotes

1. Percentages do not sum to 100, as respondents could select multiple options for this question.
2. Some breakdowns may be based on a small number of respondents.  These should be interpreted with caution.

Section 4 - Hours per week spent in formal childcare

• Filename: weekly_childcare_hours.csv
• Geographic levels: National
• Time period: 2024
• Content:
  Average hours of formal childcare used in a typical week. Data is given for all respondents (Total) and broken down by main childcare type and whether respondents look after any children with SEND.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
demographic_group	Demographic group
mean_weekly_hours	Mean hours of childcare used per week
median_weekly_hours	Median hours of childcare used per week

Footnotes

1. Respondents were asked to indicate whether any children in their household have Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND).  Those who answered "Yes" for any of their children, even if not the child the entitlements were claimed for, are labelled "has SEND children".
2. Due to the extremely small sample size, respondents using more than 70 hours of childcare per week were excluded from the analysis.
3. Some breakdowns may be based on a small number of respondents.  These should be interpreted with caution.

Section 4 - Tax-Free Childcare usage

• Filename: tax_free_childcare_usage.csv
• Geographic levels: National
• Time period: 2024
• Content:
  Whether respondents use tax free childcare.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
count	Number of respondents
demographic_group	Demographic group
percent	Proportion of respondents
use_tfc	Whether uses tax free childcare

Footnotes

1. Some breakdowns may be based on a small number of respondents.  These should be interpreted with caution.

Section 4 - Change in Tax-Free Childcare

• Filename: tax_free_childcare_change.csv
• Geographic levels: National
• Time period: 2024
• Content:
  Whether respondents will change the amount of tax free childcare they use.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
change_amount_tfc_use	Will change the amount of tax free childcare used?
count	Number of respondents
demographic_group	Demographic group
percent	Proportion of respondents

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

• Filename: satisfaction_with_hours_offered.csv
• Geographic levels: National
• Time period: 2024
• Content:
  How satisfied respondents were with the number of hours offered by their main childcare provider. Data is given for all respondents (Total) and broken down by main childcare type.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
count	Number of respondents
demographic_group	Demographic group
percent	Proportion of respondents
satisfaction_with_hours_offered	Satisfaction with the number of childcare hours offered by main provider

Footnotes

1. Some breakdowns may be based on a small number of respondents.  These should be interpreted with caution.

Section 4 - Satisfaction with opening hours offered by respondents main childcare provider

• Filename: satisfaction_with_opening_hours.csv
• Geographic levels: National
• Time period: 2024
• Content:
  How satisfied respondents were with the opening hours of their main childcare provider. Data is given for all respondents (Total) and broken down by main childcare type.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
count	Number of respondents
demographic_group	Demographic group
percent	Proportion of respondents
satisfaction_with_opening_hours	Satisfaction with opening hours of main provider

Footnotes

1. Some breakdowns may be based on a small number of respondents.  These should be interpreted with caution.

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

• Filename: satisfaction_with_days_offered.csv
• Geographic levels: National
• Time period: 2024
• Content:
  How satisfied respondents were with the days per week offered by their main childcare provider. Data is given for all respondents (Total) and broken down by main childcare type.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
count	Number of respondents
demographic_group	Demographic group
percent	Proportion of respondents
satisfaction_with_days_offered	Satisfaction with days per week offered by main provider

Footnotes

1. Some breakdowns may be based on a small number of respondents.  These should be interpreted with caution.

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

• Filename: satisfaction_with_weeks_offered.csv
• Geographic levels: National
• Time period: 2024
• Content:
  How satisfied respondents were with the weeks per year offered by their main childcare provider. Data is given for all respondents (Total) and broken down by main childcare type.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
count	Number of respondents
demographic_group	Demographic group
percent	Proportion of respondents
satisfaction_with_weeks_offered	Satisfaction with weeks per year offered by main provider

Footnotes

1. Some breakdowns may be based on a small number of respondents.  These should be interpreted with caution.

Section 5 - Changes in childcare costs since the expansion to Early Years childcare entitlements

• Filename: change_in_childcare_costs.csv
• Geographic levels: National
• Time period: 2024
• Content:
  How respondents' childcare costs changed since the entitlements were introduced in April 2024. Data is broken down by main childcare type and household income.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
change_in_childcare_costs	Change in childcare costs since April 2024
count	Number of respondents
demographic_group	Demographic group
percent	Proportion of respondents

Footnotes

1. Some breakdowns may be based on a small number of respondents.  These should be interpreted with caution.

Section 5 - Additional extra charges paid to providers

• Filename: extra_provider_charges.csv
• Geographic levels: National
• Time period: 2024
• Content:
  Proportion of respondents who paid various types of additional childcare charges.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
charge_type	Whether charge must be paid to take up place
count	Number of respondents
demographic_group	Demographic group
extra_charge	Additional charges from childcare provider
percent	Proportion of respondents

Footnotes

1. Percentages do not sum to 100, as respondents could select multiple options for this question.
2. Fixed extra charges are charges that a provider required respondents to pay to take up a childcare place.
3. Some breakdowns may be based on a small number of respondents.  These should be interpreted with caution.

Section 6 - Change in respondent working hours since the expansion to Early Years childcare entitlements

• Filename: change_in_work_hours.csv
• Geographic levels: National
• Time period: 2024
• Content:
  How respondents' working hours have changed since the childcare entitlements were introduced in April 2024, broken down by several demographics.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
change_in_work_hours	Change in working hours since April 2024
count	Number of respondents
demographic_group	Demographic group
percent	Proportion of respondents

Footnotes

1. Respondents were asked to indicate whether any children in their household have Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND).  Those who answered "Yes" for any of their children, even if not the child the entitlements were claimed for, are labelled "has SEND children".
2. Some breakdowns may be based on a small number of respondents.  These should be interpreted with caution.

Section 6 - Influence of the expansion to Early Years childcare entitlements on respondent working hours

• Filename: influence_of_entitlement_on_change_in_work_hours.csv
• Geographic levels: National
• Time period: 2024
• Content:
  How influential respondents thought the introduction of the childcare entitlements were in their decision to change their working hours, broken down by several demographics.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
count	Number of respondents
demographic_group	Demographic group
percent	Proportion of respondents
work_hours_change_influenced_by_entitlement	Influence of entitlements on change in work hours since April 2024

Footnotes

1. Respondents were asked to indicate whether any children in their household have Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND).  Those who answered "Yes" for any of their children, even if not the child the entitlements were claimed for, are labelled "has SEND children".
2. Due to the extremely small sample size, respondents using more than 70 hours of childcare per week were excluded from the analysis.
3. Some breakdowns may be based on a small number of respondents.  These should be interpreted with caution.

Section 6 - Future childcare plans from September 2025

• Filename: plans_to_change_childcare_hours_sept_2025.csv
• Geographic levels: National
• Time period: 2024
• Content:
  Respondents' plans to change the number of hours of childcare they use once the 30 hours entitlement is available from September 2025.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
change_childcare_hours_sept_2025	Planned change in childcare hours once 30 hours entitlement available from September 2025
count	Number of respondents
demographic_group	Demographic group
percent	Proportion of respondents

Footnotes

1. Some breakdowns may be based on a small number of respondents.  These should be interpreted with caution.

Section 6 - Reasons for changing childcare hours from September 2025

• Filename: reasons_to_change_childcare_hours_sept_2025.csv
• Geographic levels: National
• Time period: 2024
• Content:
  Respondents' main reasons for wishing to change the number of hours of childcare they use from September 2025, broken down by household income.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
count	Number of respondents
demographic_group	Demographic group
percent	Proportion of respondents
reason_plan_to_change_childcare_hours	Main reason for planning to change childcare hours used in September 2025

Footnotes

1. Some breakdowns may be based on a small number of respondents.  These should be interpreted with caution.