Key Points

  • Proportion of children aged 0-4 using any childcare in 2024 62%.

  • Proportion of children aged 0-4 using any paid childcare in 2024 43%.

  • Median monthly payment for childcare (per child) £225.00.

  • Median monthly payment for full time (31-40 hours) childcare (per child) £630.00.

  • Proportion of households with children aged 0-4 who said that the quality of childcare is ‘very’ or ‘fairly’ good: 86%.

  • Proportion of households who said that childcare costs are ‘very unaffordable’ or ‘fairly unaffordable’: 48%.

  • Children aged 0-4 spend on average 20 hours in childcare per week, compared to 9 hours for children aged 5-11.

Introduction

The Northern Ireland Executive has prioritised delivering more affordable, accessible, high quality early education and childcare as part of the Programme for Government 2025 – 2027. This commitment aims to support children’s development, ease financial pressure on working families and expand access to high quality early education and childcare.

The NI Childcare Survey 2024, which took place in Autumn/Winter 2024, was commissioned by the Department of Education and is one part of the commitment to collect more robust and comprehensive data on the sector.

The findings presented in this publication are based on data collected through the survey. They will support the Department of Education in evaluating current provision and inform the development of new policies, specifically, the development of an Early Learning and Childcare strategy.

This publication presents insights on a range of issues including type and amount of childcare used; childcare costs; summer holiday childcare arrangements; financial support claimed including under the Northern Ireland Childcare Subsidy Scheme; factors influencing parental childcare choices including affordability and quality of childcare; and the impact of childcare on employment, education and training.

The analysis is presented at the Northern Ireland level, with breakdowns by sub-regional geographies, family type and child age where appropriate.

Where differences are commented upon, e.g. as differences between sub-groups, these differences are statistically significant.

Uses of the data

This publication presents information gathered from the Northern Ireland Childcare Survey 2024 on childcare use; type and amount of childcare used; childcare cost; Summer holiday childcare; financial support claimed; the NI Childcare Subsidy Scheme; direct payments; factors when choosing childcare; affordability and quality of childcare; and the impact of childcare needs on work, education or training.

Chapter 1. Use of childcare provision

Among children

• Forty four percent of children aged 0 -11 did not receive any form of childcare provision. 32% of children aged 0-11 used grandparents or relatives to provide childcare (Figure 1.1).

• After school clubs in school (15%) and breakfast clubs in school (12%) were the next most commonly used childcare, followed by day nursery (7%).

• Fifty six percent of children had received some form of childcare during term time (Figure 1.3).

• On average, children aged 0-11 were in childcare for 12 hours per week, rising to 25 hours for one year olds and 24 hours for under one year and two year olds. Average times per child then fell to between 8 and 12 hours between the ages of four and ten (Figure 1.4).

• The variation of hours attended between 0-4 and 5-11 year olds is evident in the distribution of hours attended between those two groupings. In the figure shown, the leftwards shift of the hours attended distribution for 5-11 year olds is clear. The distribution of hours attended for 0-4 year olds is less pronounced and shifted rightwards in comparison. Although these distributions are overlapping, there is a clear association between age and hours attended in these data (Figure 1.4).

Among households

• The main reasons for using childcare were to attend work (89% of households), to attend appointments (19%) and to provide opportunities for children to socialise with other children (17%; Figure 1.5). Among households with only children aged 0-4, the top three reasons were the same, attend work (89% of households), to provide opportunities for children to socialise with other children (20%) and to attend appointments (18%; Figure 1.6).

• The main reasons for not using childcare were prefer to myself (48%), childcare not affordable (35%) and rarely need to be away from child (16%; Figure 1.7). Among households with only children aged 0-4, the top three reasons were prefer to myself (46%), childcare not affordable (39%) and maternity/paternity/adoption leave (19%; Figure 1.8).

• Households were more likely to say the quality of childcare was ‘good’ or ‘very good’ than ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’. Sixty percent of households said the quality of childcare was ‘very good’, with a further 26% saying quality was ‘good’. Under two percent said childcare was either ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ (Figure 1.9).

• Across all 11 local government districts, in urban and rural areas and across all measures of deprivation, households were more likely to say the quality of childcare was ‘good’ or ‘very good’ than ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’. This was also the case regardless of whether a child had a SEN statement, was on a SEN register or had no special educational needs (Figure 1.9).

• Households were more likely to say childcare provision meets all childcare needs (81%) compared to it did not meet needs (19%; Figure 1.10).

• Across all 11 local government districts, in urban and rural areas and across all measures of deprivation, households were more likely to say childcare provision meets all needs. This was also the case regardless of whether a child had a SEN statement, was on a SEN register or had no special educational needs (Figure 1.10).

• Among households, those with no special educational needs were more likely to say childcare provision meets all needs (82%) than those with a SEN statement (67%) or those on a SEN register without a statement (71%; Figure 1.10).

1.1 - Use of Childcare Providers by Children Aged 0-11 Years Old

Bar chart showing percentage of children using each childcare type.

Figure 1.1 - Type of childcare used by child.

All children aged 0-11: 9,877

Note: Totals reflect percentage of children using each childcare type. Table will not total 100% as some children may use more than one type.

1.2 - Use of Childcare by Household

Bar chart showing overall usage of any type of childcare overall and by number of children in household, household type, local government district, deprivation and urban vs rural. Percentages are for households with children aged 0-11 and households with only children aged 0-4.

Select the tabs to view by household and area characteristics.

Figure 1.2 - Use of childcare by household.

Overall
Number of children
Household Type
LGD
Characteristic % Using Childcare (0-11) % Using Childcare (0-4)
Local Government District
Antrim & Newtownabbey 65 68
Ards & North Down 68 76
Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon 61 71
Belfast 57 66
Causeway Coast & Glens 68 79
Derry City & Strabane 61 74
Fermanagh & Omagh 70 79
Lisburn & Castlereagh 70 70
Mid & East Antrim 54 57
Mid Ulster 61 67
Newry, Mourne & Down 65 67
MDM
Urban/Rural

All households: 5,315

1.3 - Use of Childcare by Children

Bar chart showing use of childcare split by ethnicity, special educational needs and long lasting/limiting illness. Percentages are for children aged 0-11 and for children aged 0-4.

Select the tabs to view by child characteristics.

Figure 1.3 - Use of childcare by child.

Overall
Ethnicity
SEN
Long Term Illness

All children aged 0-11: 9,877

All children aged 0-4: 4,469

1.4 - Hours of Childcare Used by Children Per Week

Table showing average hours of childcare usage split out by age. This includes all children in all types of care, both full time and part time usage. Results are hours of childcare per child. Children who do not use childcare have been excluded from the calculations. Note: Density charts provide a representation of the distribution of hours per child across the sample population.

Figure 1.4 - Hours of childcare used per week by child age.

Usage by age
Age Median Hours Used
Overall
All 12
Breakdown by age
0 24
1 25
2 24
3 18
4 12
5 10
6 10
7 8
8 8
9 9
10 8
11 8
Age 0 - 4 years old
0-4 20
Age 5 - 11 years old
5-11 9
Density by age

All children aged 0-11 using childcare: 5,990

All children aged 0-4 using childcare: 2,893

1.5 - Reasons for Using Childcare

Bar chart showing responses to the question -

Why do you use childcare for CHILDSNAME? (Please select all that apply)

Figure 1.5 - Reasons for Using Childcare.

All responses: 5,990

Note: Percentages don’t add up to 100% due to multiple responses

1.6 - Reasons for Using Childcare by Children Aged 0-4

Bar Chart showing responses to the question (specifically relating to children aged 0-4) -

Why do you use childcare for CHILDSNAME? (Please select all that apply)

Figure 1.6 - Reasons for Using Childcare (age 0-4).

All responses: 2,893

Note: Percentages don’t add up to 100% due to multiple responses

1.7 - Reasons for Not Using Childcare

Bar Chart showing responses to the question -

Why do you not use childcare for CHILDSNAME? (Please select all that apply)

Figure 1.7: Reasons for Not Using Childcare.

All responses: 3,622

Note: Percentages don’t add up to 100% due to multiple responses

1.8 - Reasons for Not Using Childcare by Children Aged 0-4

Bar chart showing responses to the question (specifically relating to children aged 0-4) -

Why do you not use childcare for CHILDSNAME? (Please select all that apply)

Figure 1.8: Reasons for Not Using Childcare (age 0-4).

All responses: 1,503

Note: Percentages don’t add up to 100% due to multiple responses

1.9 - Childcare Quality

Pie chart showing responses to the question -

I think the quality of my childcare is…

Figure 1.9: Childcare Quality.

All responses: 3,206

1.10 - Does Childcare Meet Needs

Table showing responses to the question -

Does your childcare provision meet all your childcare needs?

Figure 1.10: Does Childcare Meet Needs.

All responses: 3,052

Chapter 2. Number of providers and patterns of childcare for children aged 0-4 / 5-11

Among children

• The survey asked respondents how many hours of childcare their child attended in an average week during the calendar months of September and October 2024. Of the 5,990 children who had used childcare, the total hours used was 110,326.

• Of that total who use childcare, among children aged 0-11, approximately 58% used 1 provider, 29% used 2 providers and 10% used 3 or more childcare providers.

• The percentage of children using only one childcare provider falls from age 0 to age 6, then rises again from age 7 to age 11 (Figures 2.1 and 2.4).

• For all children aged 0-11, most were using one childcare provider. This ranged from 84% of 11 year olds and 75% of under one and one year olds to 47% of six year olds. The use of two or more providers ranged from 12% for eleven year olds to 34% for both seven and nine year olds (Figures 2.1 and 2.4).

• For children aged two or under in childcare, it was most common to be in childcare between 21 to 30 hours per week. This then dropped to 11 to 20 hours for three year olds and to 0 to 10 hours for four year olds (Figure 2.2).

• Similar to the distribution seen in Figure 1.4, the variation of hours attended between the ages of 0 and 4 is evident in the distribution of hours attended between those single years of age. The leftwards shift of the hours attended distribution for 4 year olds is clear and reflects the age where pre-school and school begins, and childcare needs reduce. The distributions of hours attended for 0-3 year olds are less pronounced and shifted rightwards in comparison. Again, while these distributions are overlapping, there is a fairly clear association between age and hours attended in these data (Figure 2.2).

• Most children using childcare at each age between five and eleven were in childcare between 0 and 10 hours per week. Approximately 10% of children at each age between six and ten were in childcare 21 or more hours per week (Figure 2.5).

• Contrary to the differences observed in Figure 2.5, similar levels of hours attended between the ages of 5 and 11 is evident in the distribution of hours attended between those single years of age. The leftwards shift of the hours attended distribution for these ages is clear and reflects childcare needs reducing due to school attendance across all these ages. The distributions of hours attended for 11 year olds are a double peak which is likely due to rounding of responses to 5 or 10 hours per week (Figure 2.5).

Among households

• Unemployed/not employed households with children aged 0-4 tended to use less hours of childcare per week. Forty six percent of unemployed/not employed lone parent households with children aged 0-4 used 0-10 hours per week, compared to 17% of employed lone parent households. Conversely 16% of employed lone parent households used 31-40 hours of childcare per week, only 4 % of unemployed/not employed lone parent households used this mount of childcare (Figure 2.3).

• For couple households, both parents being employed tended to mean increased use of childcare. Where both parents were employed, 18% of households used 0-10 hours of childcare per week, compared to 45% where one was employed or where both were unemployed/not employed. Where both were employed, 17% of households used 31-40 hours per week, compared to 7% and 0% for one employed and both unemployed/not employed respectively (Figure 2.3).

• Unemployed/not employed households with children aged 5-11 also tended to use less hours of childcare per week and to a greater degree than households with children aged 0-4. Seventy three percent of unemployed/not employed lone parent households with children aged 5-11 used 0-10 hours per week. This was 39% where the lone parent was employed. Thirty percent of employed lone parent households with children aged 5-11 used 21 or more hours of childcare per week, compared to 13% where the parent was unemployed/not employed (Figure 2.6).

• For couple households, any parent not being employed tended to mean decreased use of childcare. Where both parents were employed, 44% of households used 0-10 hours of childcare per week, compared to 66% where one was employed and 67% where both were unemployed/not employed. Where both were employed, 22% of households used 21 or more hours per week, compared to 16% for both one employed and both unemployed/not employed (Figure 2.6).

2.1 - Number of Providers Used for Children Aged 0 to 4 (by age of child)

Breakdown showing percentages of children at each age group using x number of providers.

Figure 2.1 - Number of providers used by age (age 0-4).

Age of Children
No of Providers 0 1 2 3 4
% using 1 provider 75 75 64 64 54
% using 2 providers 21 23 28 27 31
% using 3+ 4 2 8 9 15

All children aged 0-4 using childcare: 2,893

2.2 - Patterns of Childcare Use for Children Aged 0 to 4 (by age of child)

Breakdown showing percentages of children at each age group using x number of hours childcare per week. Note: Density charts provide a representation of the distribution of hours per child across the sample population.

Figure 2.2 - Number of hours used per week by age (age 0-4).

Usage by age
Age of Children
No of Hrs used per week 0 1 2 3 4
% 0-10 hrs per week 22 12 15 27 47
% 11-20 hrs per week 23 27 27 36 40
% 21-30 hrs per week 25 27 28 23 7
% 31-40 hrs per week 19 22 19 8 2
% 41+ hrs per week 11 13 12 7 4
Median Hours Used 24 25 24 18 12
Density by age

All children aged 0-4 using childcare: 2,893

2.3 - Patterns of Childcare Use for Children Aged 0 to 4 (by household and employment status)

Breakdown showing employment status and household type and the percentages using x number of hours childcare per week.

Figure 2.3 - Number of hours used per week by household type and employment status (age 0-4).

Hours used per week
Employment Status 0-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41+
Lone Parents
Employed 17 28 21 16 18
Unemployed/Not Employed 46 25 15 4 10
Couples
One Employed 45 25 11 7 12
Both Employed 18 21 21 17 23
Both Unemployed 45 27 9 0 18

All households where children aged 0-4 used childcare: 2,187

2.4 - Number of Providers Used for Children Aged 5 to 11 (by age of child)

Breakdown showing percentages of children at each age group using x number of providers.

Figure 2.4 - Number of providers used by age (age 5-11).

Age of Children
No of Providers 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
% using 1 provider 48 47 50 52 49 57 84
% using 2 providers 32 33 34 29 34 27 12
% using 3+ 20 20 16 20 17 17 5

All children aged 5-11 using childcare: 3,097

2.5 - Patterns of Childcare Use for Children Aged 5 to 11 (by age of child)

Breakdown showing percentages of children at each age group using x number of hours childcare per week. Note: Density charts provide a representation of the distribution of hours per child across the sample population.

Figure 2.5 - Number of hours used per week by age (age 5-11).

Usage by age
Age of Children
No of Hrs used per week 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
% 0-10 hrs per week 53 60 67 66 66 66 76
% 11-20 hrs per week 34 30 24 24 26 23 16
% 21-30 hrs per week 6 4 2 3 2 4 4
% 31-40 hrs per week 2 1 3 2 2 2 1
% 41+ hrs per week 6 5 4 6 4 5 3
Median Hours Used 10 10 8 8 9 8 8
Density by age

All children aged 5-11 using childcare: 3,097

2.6 - Patterns of Childcare Use for Children Aged 5 to 11 (by household and employment status)

Breakdown showing employment status and household type and the percentages using x number of hours childcare per week.

Figure 2.6 - Number of hours used per week by household type and employment status (age 5-11).

Hours used per week
Employment Status 0-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41+
Lone Parents
Employed 39 32 12 6 12
Unemployed/Not Employed 73 14 6 2 5
Couples
One Employed 66 18 5 7 4
Both Employed 44 33 10 5 7
Both Unemployed 67 17 8 0 8

All households where children aged 5-11 used childcare: 2,091

Chapter 3. Use of childcare during school holidays

Among children

• School holiday time was defined as July and August 2024.

• Forty three precent of children aged 0 -11 did not receive any form of childcare provision during school holiday time. 23% of children aged 0-11 used grandparents or relatives to provide childcare (Figure 3.1).

• Summer camps / schemes (15%) were the next most commonly used childcare, followed by day nursery (8%) and holiday clubs (6%; Figure 3.1).

• When prompted for further detail, the large increase in type of care ‘Other’ responses in the holiday period appears to be driven mainly by households stating that parents took leave, term time or other such arrangements. These have been kept within ‘Other’ in the analysis but given the responses, it could be argued that such arrangements could have been included in the ‘Do Not Use’ option (Figure 3.1).

• Fifty seven percent of children had received some form of childcare during school holiday time (Figure 3.3).

• On average, children aged 0-11 were in childcare during school holidays for 20 hours per week (compared to 12 hours during term time), rising to 25 hours for one and two year olds (similar to term time). Average times were between 20 and 22 hours between the ages of three and eleven (higher than term time; Figure 3.4).

• Forty three percent of children were likely to have different childcare needs during school holidays compared to term time. Children who are white were more likely (44%) than other ethnicities (26%) to have different school holiday childcare needs (Figure 3.6).

Among households

• Households in the least deprived areas were more likely (71% of households) to use school holiday childcare than households in the most deprived areas (50% of households) for children aged 0-11. This was the same for households with only children aged 0-4 (76% vs. 57%; Figure 3.2).

• Fifty three percent of households said their school holiday needs did not change, 47% had different needs to term time (Figure 3.5).

• Households with more than one child were more likely to see their needs change over school holidays. Couple families were more likely than lone parent families to have differing needs during school holidays (Figure 3.5).

• Thirty eight percent of households in Mid & East Antrim said their needs changed during school holidays, compared to 55% in Lisburn & Castlereagh. Those in least deprived areas were more likely (56% of households) to see needs change during school holidays than those in the most deprived areas (38% of households; Figure 3.5).

3.1 - Use of Childcare During School Holidays

Table showing overall usage percentages for holiday childcare usage. Results for the same type of care from figure 1.1 are shown for comparison.

Figure 3.1 - Type of holiday childcare used by child.

Type of Care Used % of Children Using Provider (Holiday Time) % of Children Using Provider (Term Time)
Do Not Use 43 44
Grandparent or relative 23 32
Summer camp or scheme 15 NA
Other 15 1
Day Nursery 8 7
Holiday club 6 NA
Unregistered childminder 5 3
Registered childminder 4 7
Creche 3 3
Afternoon club 3 20
Playgroup 1 1
Breakfast club 1 13
Approved home daycare 1 0
Nanny or au pair < 1 0

All children aged 0-11: 9,877

Note: Term time values for Afternoon Club and Breakfast Club are combined totals including both in school and outside school events, see table 1.1 for seperate values. Percentages reflect percentage of children using each childcare type, so table will not total 100% as children may use more than one type.

3.2 - Use of Childcare During School Holidays (by household and area characteristics)

Bar chart showing overall usage of any type of childcare overall and by number of children in household, household type, local government district, deprivation and urban vs rural. Percentages are of households not children.

Select the tabs to view by household and area characteristics.

Figure 3.2 Use of childcare during school holidays by household.

Overall
Number of children
Household Type
LGD
Characteristic % Using Holiday Time Childcare (0-11) % Using Holiday Time Childcare (0-4)
Local Government District
Antrim & Newtownabbey 64 64
Ards & North Down 68 71
Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon 61 69
Belfast 56 64
Causeway Coast & Glens 64 70
Derry City & Strabane 62 69
Fermanagh & Omagh 64 72
Lisburn & Castlereagh 67 68
Mid & East Antrim 53 53
Mid Ulster 59 65
Newry, Mourne & Down 63 64
MDM
Urban/Rural

All households: 5,315

3.3 - Use of Childcare During School Holidays (by child characteristics)

Bar chart showing use of holiday childcare split by ethnicity, special educational needs and long lasting/limiting illness.

Select the tabs to view by child characteristics.

Figure 3.3 Use of childcare during school holidays by child characteristics.

Overall
Ethnicity
SEN
Long Term Illness

All children aged 0-11: 9,877

All children aged 0-4: 4,469

3.4 - Hours of Childcare Used by Children during School Holidays Per Week (by child age)

Table showing total hours of holiday childcare usage split out by age. This includes all children in all types of care, both full time and part time usage. Results are hours of childcare per child. Children who do not use childcare have been excluded from the calculations.

Figure 3.4 - Hours of childcare used per week during school holidays.

Age Median Hours Used
Overall Totals
All 20
Breakdown by age
0 22
1 25
2 25
3 22
4 20
5 20
6 20
7 20
8 20
9 20
10 20
11 20
Age 0 - 4 years old
0-4 24
Age 5 - 11 years old
5-11 20

All children using holiday period childcare: 5,939

3.5 - Holiday Care Differing From Term Time Use (by household and area characteristics)

Bar chart showing household and area characteristics of households where they answered Yes to the following question -

Thinking specifically about the school holidays in July and August 2024. Would you say that your childcare needs were different to what you currently use?

Select the tabs to view by household and area characteristics.

Figure 3.5 - Responded that their holiday time care needs were different.

Overall
Number of children
Household Type
LGD
Characteristic % of Households Where Needs Changed
Local Government District
Antrim & Newtownabbey 49
Ards & North Down 47
Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon 47
Belfast 43
Causeway Coast & Glens 52
Derry City & Strabane 46
Fermanagh & Omagh 49
Lisburn & Castlereagh 55
Mid & East Antrim 38
Mid Ulster 47
Newry, Mourne & Down 48
MDM
Urban/Rural

All households: 5,315

3.6 - Holiday Care Differing From Term Time Care (by child characteristics)

Table showing characteristics of children where parents answered Yes to the following question -

Thinking specifically about the school holidays in July and August 2024. Would you say that your childcare needs were different to what you currently use?

Select the tabs to view by child characteristics.

Figure 3.6 - Holiday care differing from term time care by child characteristics.

Overall
Ethnicity
SEN
Long Term Illness

All children aged 0-11: 9,877

Chapter 4. Paying for childcare

Respondents were asked how much they paid per month for each child’s childcare before any benefits, discounts or subsidies. The analysis below presents findings based on the figures that were provided.

Among children – term time

• When asked how much was paid for childcare, thirty seven percent of children aged 0-11 used paid childcare provision, this was 43% for only children aged 0-4 and 33% for only children aged 5-11 (Figure 4.1).

• The average (median) monthly payment per child for childcare was £225. This rose to £630 for children in 31-40 hours of childcare (Figure 4.2).

• Average monthly costs per child ranged from £136 for Causeway Coast & Glens to £288 for Belfast and for Derry City & Strabane (Figure 4.3).

• Monthly costs, for both term time and holiday time, shows similar distributions across family types and between deprivation quintiles. While there is some difference in the peaks of the distribution between the respective groups, the leftwards shift is common across lone parent / couple families and the deprivation quintiles. This suggests that family type or location is not a big driver of the differences experienced across families, which are more likely driven by the age of the child and the hours of childcare required (Figures 4.3 and 4.7).

• Average monthly costs peaked in the first two years of a child’s life (£520 per month for under one’s and £500 for one year olds), falling to £415 for three year olds, £190 for four year olds and £87 for nine year olds (Figure 4.4).

Among children – holiday time

• When asked how much was paid for childcare, thirty five percent of children aged 0-11 used paid holiday childcare provision, this was 40% for only children aged 0-4 and 32% for only children aged 5-11 (Figure 4.5).

• The average monthly payment per child for holiday childcare was £350. This rose to £542 for children in 31-40 hours of childcare (Figure 4.6).

• Average monthly costs per child during school holidays ranged from £280 for Antrim & Newtownabbey to £400 for Belfast (Figure 4.7).

• Similar to term time, average monthly costs peaked in the first three years of a child’s life (£500 per month), falling to £478 for three year olds. However, costs were higher in holiday time for older children - £300 for four year olds and £200 for those over six years old (Figure 4.8).

• The higher average costs in holiday time are likely due to increased costs for school age children, 4+ year olds, who are not in school and need increased care compared to term time, such as participating in holiday clubs and summer schemes. There is little change in the costs for 0-3 years olds when looking at costs for term time and holiday time.

Among households

• Households were more likely to say childcare was ‘fairly unaffordable’ or ‘very unaffordable’ than ‘fairly affordable’ or ‘very affordable’ (Figure 4.9).

• Households in all 11 local government districts, in urban and rural areas and across all levels of multiple deprivation were more likely to say childcare was ‘fairly unaffordable’ or ‘very unaffordable’ than ‘fairly affordable’ or ‘very affordable’ (Figure 4.9).

• Households in urban areas were more likely to say childcare was ‘fairly unaffordable’ or ‘very unaffordable’ than ‘fairly affordable’ or ‘very affordable’ than households in rural areas (Figure 4.9).

• Households in the three least deprived quintiles were less likely to say childcare was ‘fairly unaffordable’ or ‘very unaffordable’ than households in the most deprived quintile (Figure 4.9).

4.1 - Children Using Paid Childcare

Bar chart showing percentage of children using paid childcare by age groups.

Figure 4.1 - Usage of paid childcare.

All children aged 0-11: 9,877

4.2 Average Monthly Payment for Childcare (per child)

Table highlighting average monthly cost of childcare per child by hours attended per week.

Figure 4.2 - Average monthly payment for childcare by hours used.

Hours Attended per week Median paid
All £225.00
0-10 £80.00
11-20 £280.00
21-30 £516.00
31-40 £630.00
41+ £600.00

All children aged 0-11 using paid childcare: 4,032

Note: 1. Figures are calculated based on responses provided and only where a value was provided. Responses indicating households paid zero for childcare have been excluded. 2. Respondents were asked for an overall value, therefore it is not possible to split out by provider. Figures provided may also have been before or after deductions or subsidies. 3. In cases where a child is spending two days with a grandparent or relative and two days in nursery, the child will be included in the 31-40hrs per week band for example but may only be paying for half of that time.

4.3 Average Monthly Payment for Childcare (per child)

Table highlighting average monthly cost of childcare per child by household type, local government district, deprivation and urban vs rural. Note: Density charts provide a representation of the distribution of cost per child across the sample population.

Figure 4.3 - Average monthly payment for childcare by area and family.

Overall
Household Characteristics Median paid
Overall
All £225.00
Household type
Couple £220.00
Lone Parent £240.00
Local Government District
Antrim & Newtownabbey £200.00
Ards & North Down £184.00
Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon £200.00
Belfast £288.00
Causeway Coast & Glens £136.00
Derry City & Strabane £288.00
Fermanagh & Omagh £170.00
Lisburn & Castlereagh £250.00
Mid & East Antrim £220.00
Mid Ulster £250.00
Newry, Mourne & Down £200.00
Deprivation
1st quintile - most deprived £280.00
2nd quintile £200.00
3rd quintile £211.00
4th quintile £205.00
5th quintile - least deprived £250.00
Urban vs Rural
Urban £240.00
Rural £200.00
Density by household type
Density by deprivation quintile

All children using paid childcare: 4,032

Note: Figures are calculated based on responses provided and only where a value was provided. Responses indicating they paid zero for childcare have been excluded. Values are per child.

4.4 Average Monthly Payment for Childcare (per child by single year of age)

Table highlighting average monthly cost of childcare per child by single year of age.

Figure 4.4 - Average monthly payments for childcare.

Age Median paid
Overall £225.00
0 £520.00
1 £500.00
2 £477.00
3 £415.00
4 £190.00
5 £140.00
6 £120.00
7 £100.00
8 £100.00
9 £87.00
10 £100.00
11 £82.00

All children aged 0-11 using paid childcare: 4,032

4.5 Children Using Paid Childcare During Holidays

Bar chart displaying usage of paid childcare during the holday period. Holiday period is defined in the survey as July and August 2024.

Figure 4.5 - Usage of paid childcare during holidays.

All children using paid holiday period childcare: 3,717

4.6 Average Monthly Payment for Childcare During Holidays (per child)

Table highlighting average monthly cost of childcare per child by hours attended per week.

Figure 4.6 - Average monthly payments for childcare during holiday period.

Hours Attended per week Median paid
All £350.00
0-10 £100.00
11-20 £280.00
21-30 £400.00
31-40 £542.00
41+ £600.00

All children using paid holiday period childcare: 3,717

Note: 1. Figures are calculated based on responses provided and only where a value was provided. Responses indicating households paid zero for childcare have been excluded. 2. Respondents were asked for an overall value, therefore it is not possible to split out by provider. Figures provided may also have been before or after deductions or subsidies. 3. In cases where a child is spending two days with a grandparent or relative and two days in nursery, the child will be included in the 31-40hrs per week band for example but may only be paying for half of that time.

4.7 Average Monthly Payment for Childcare During Holidays (per child)

Table highlighting average monthly cost of childcare per child by household type, local government district, deprivation and urban vs rural. Note: Density charts provide a representation of the distribution of cost per child across the sample population.

Figure 4.7 - Average monthly payment for childcare during holiday period.

Overall
Household Characteristics Median paid
Overall
All £350.00
Household type
Couple £340.00
Lone Parent £360.00
Local Government District
Antrim & Newtownabbey £280.00
Ards & North Down £300.00
Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon £300.00
Belfast £400.00
Causeway Coast & Glens £360.00
Derry City & Strabane £365.00
Fermanagh & Omagh £326.00
Lisburn & Castlereagh £360.00
Mid & East Antrim £300.00
Mid Ulster £320.00
Newry, Mourne & Down £300.00
Deprivation
1st quintile - most deprived £360.00
2nd quintile £300.00
3rd quintile £300.00
4th quintile £300.00
5th quintile - least deprived £400.00
Urban vs Rural
Urban £400.00
Rural £300.00
Density by household type
Density by deprivation quintile

All children using paid holiday period childcare: 3,717

Note: Figures are calculated based on responses provided and only where a value was provided. Responses indicating they paid zero for childcare have been excluded. Values are per child

4.8 Average Monthly Payment for Childcare During Holidays (per child by single year of age)

Table highlighting average monthly cost of childcare per child by by single year of age.

Figure 4.8 - Average monthly payments for childcare during holidays.

Age Median paid
Overall £350.00
0 £500.00
1 £500.00
2 £500.00
3 £478.00
4 £300.00
5 £220.00
6 £245.00
7 £200.00
8 £200.00
9 £200.00
10 £200.00
11 £200.00

All children using paid holiday period childcare: 3,717

4.9 Affordability of Childcare

Chart showing responses to affordability question by number of children, household type, local government district, deprivation and urban vs rural. -

I think my childcare costs are…

Select the tabs to view by household and area characteristics.

Figure 4.9 Affordability of Childcare (household and area characteristics).

Overall
Number of children
Household Type
LGD
Characteristic % Affordable % Neutral % Unaffordable
Local Government District
Antrim & Newtownabbey 26 30 45
Ards & North Down 26 27 47
Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon 29 24 47
Belfast 23 25 52
Causeway Coast & Glens 28 25 47
Derry City & Strabane 25 30 45
Fermanagh & Omagh 25 30 44
Lisburn & Castlereagh 25 24 50
Mid & East Antrim 31 25 44
Mid Ulster 26 27 46
Newry, Mourne & Down 22 30 48
MDM
Urban/Rural

Total number of responses: 3,341

Chapter 5. Receipt of financial support for childcare

Among households

• When asked “Do you currently claim any of the following financial support for childcare?”, 32% of households said they were claiming Universal Credit, 14% said they were claiming Tax Free Childcare, 9% were claiming the NI Childcare Subsidy Scheme and 2% were claiming Childcare Vouchers and Tax Credits (Figure 5.1).

• The difference in proportions claiming Tax Free childcare and the NI Childcare Subsidy Scheme is notable given the majority who are eligible for Tax Free Childcare would be eligible for the NI Childcare Subsidy Scheme.

• Twenty eight percent of households stated they were not claiming any support but were using some form of childcare (Figure 5.1).

• Sixty six percent of households not claiming any support stated they were not eligible. Thirty percent said they were not aware of available support (Figure 5.2).

• Respondents who stated they were claiming the NI Childcare Subsidy Scheme were asked how much reduction they had seen in their monthly childcare bill. The most common response was £61-90 (22% of households), followed by £31-60 and £91-120 (both 19%; Figure 5.3).

• Some parents or guardians of children with additional needs may receive direct payments from their local health trust. Eighty three percent of households reported that they did not receive direct payments. Six percent did and used it to pay for regular childcare while 11% received it but did not use it to pay for regular childcare (Figure 5.4).

5.1 Receipt of Financial Support for Childcare

Percentage breakdown of households receiving each form of support. Answers were in response to the following question -

Do you currently claim any of the following financial support for childcare? (Please select all that apply)

Figure 5.1 - Receipt of financial support.

All households: 5,315

Note: Percentages don’t add up to 100% due to households selecting multiple responses

5.2 Not in Receipt of Financial Support for Childcare

Percentage breakdown of households not receiving any form of financial support. Answers were in response to the following question -

If you don’t claim support under any of these schemes, please tell us why. (Please select all that apply)

Figure 5.2 - Not in receipt of financial support.

All households not in receipt of support: 2,683

Note: Percentages don’t add up to 100% due to households selecting multiple responses

5.3 Bill Reduction Due to NI Childcare Subsidy Scheme

Bar chart showing total percentage of households at each band.

Figure 5.3 - Bill reduction due to NICSS.

All households who indicated receipt of NICSS: 577

5.4 Direct Payments Used for Childcare

Table showing responses by household and area for responses to the following question -

If you receive [direct payments], do you use it to pay for regular childcare to allow a parent or guardian in the household to work?

Yes / No / I do not receive this payment

Figure 5.4 - Direct payments used for childcare.

Characteristic Yes No I do not receive this payment
Overall Totals
All 6 11 83
Number of children in household
1 5 11 84
2 7 10 83
3+ 6 13 81
Household type
Couple 5 12 83
Lone Parent 7 11 82
Local Government District
Antrim & Newtownabbey 9 9 82
Ards & North Down 7 12 81
Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon 9 7 83
Belfast 7 12 81
Causeway Coast & Glens 7 14 79
Derry City & Strabane 5 7 88
Fermanagh & Omagh 0 16 84
Lisburn & Castlereagh 3 8 89
Mid & East Antrim 4 15 81
Mid Ulster 1 14 85
Newry, Mourne & Down 9 13 79
Deprivation
1st quintile - most deprived 7 11 82
2nd quintile 7 11 82
3rd quintile 5 14 81
4th quintile 6 11 83
5th quintile - least deprived 4 8 87
Urban vs Rural
Urban 7 11 82
Rural 4 13 83

All responses: 1,170

Note: Some parents/ guardians of children with additional needs may receive direct payments or a self-directed support budget from their local Health Trust. This question was only asked of households which had children with special educational needs or life limiting conditions / illness.

Chapter 6. Factors affecting decisions about childcare

Among households

• The factors affecting decisions about childcare most commonly selected were cost (69% of households), provider reputation (65%) and the location being close to home or work (62%; Figure 6.1).

• When considering only the most important factor, 25% of households said providers reputation and cost were the joint most important factors (both 25% of households). These two factors were also most important to households with only children aged 0-4. Location was the most important factor to only 4% of households (Figure 6.2).

• Seventy one percent of households said provision could improve by becoming more affordable. Other common reasons by which provision could improve were extended opening hours for flexibility/shift patterns (46%) and more availability during school holidays (44%). These three reasons were also most common among households with only children aged 0-4 (Figure 6.3).

• Households were more likely to say they were able to find information about the availability of childcare in their area (46%) than not (13%). Forty two percent stated they did not look for a provider. Those who were not able to find information ranged from 9% in Ards & North Down to 19% in Fermanagh & Omagh (Figure 6.4).

• Those in the most deprived areas were more likely to say they could not find information about childcare availability than those in the least deprived areas (Figure 6.4).

• Thirty one percent of households said they were aware of the Family Support NI website, 69% were not aware. Across all eleven local government districts, households were more likely to say they were not aware of the Family Support NI website. Those who said they were aware ranged from 25% in Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon to 39% in Causeway Coast & Glens (Figure 6.5).

• Households in rural areas were more likely to say they were aware of the Family Support NI website than those in urban areas but for both urban and rural areas, households were more likely to say they were not aware (Figure 6.5).

6.1 - Important factors when choosing a childcare provider

Figure 6.1 shows responses to the statement -

What are the most important factors when choosing a childcare provider? (Please select all that apply)
Factors % Households
Cost of childcare 69
Providers reputation 65
Location (close to home/work) 62
Opportunities for child/ren to socialise with other children 48
Providers approach to child development 47
Provider listed on the childcare register 41
Convenience 38
Staff/childminder qualifications 32
Flexibility fits with shift patterns 31
Observing staff/childminder interaction with the children 30
Ability to support childs additional needs 21
Provider offers transport 20
Ability to communicate in childs first language 14
Other relative attends or has attended 8
Don’t Know 6
Other 1

All households: 5,237

6.2 - Most important factor when choosing a childcare provider by age of child(ren) in household

Figure 6.2 shows responses to the statement -

From the factors chosen, which would you say is most important when choosing a childcare provider?
Factors % Households with only child/ren aged 0-4 % All households
Providers reputation 27 25
Cost of childcare 22 25
Providers approach to child development 13 9
Other 5 8
Provider listed on the childcare register 8 7
Observing staff/childminder interaction with the children 6 6
Ability to support childs additional needs 6 6
Location (close to home/work) 4 4
Opportunities for child/ren to socialise with other children 5 4
Convenience 1 3
Staff/childminder qualifications 2 2
Provider offers transport <1 <1
Other relative attends or has attended <1 <1
Ability to communicate in childs first language <1 <1

All households with only child/ren under 5: 1,499

All households: 4,581

6.3 - How provision could improve

Figure 6.3 shows responses to the statement -

How would you like to see childcare provision improving in order to better meet your needs? (Please select all that apply)
Factors % Households with only child/ren aged 0-4 % All households
More affordable 81 71
Extended opening hours for flexibility/shift patterns 42 46
More availability during school holidays 35 44
Have childcare provision available at my childs school 25 34
Facilities and resources 25 27
Quality of care 22 21
Increase the number of available childcare places 24 21
Offer childcare closer to home/work 17 17
Improved support for childs additional needs 12 16
Staff/childminder qualification/experience 13 12
Other 5 5

All households with only child/ren under 5: 166

All households: 584

6.4 - Finding information about childcare availability

Figure 6.4 shows responses to the statement -

When seeking a childcare provider, were you able to find information about the availability of childcare in your area?
Local Government District
Characteristic Did not look for childcare provider % Yes % No %
Northern Ireland 42 46 13
Antrim & Newtownabbey 44 44 11
Ards & North Down 40 51 9
Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon 41 47 13
Belfast 42 44 13
Causeway Coast & Glens 41 45 14
Derry City & Strabane 43 44 13
Fermanagh & Omagh 37 44 19
Lisburn & Castlereagh 37 53 10
Mid & East Antrim 50 36 14
Mid Ulster 37 48 15
Newry, Mourne & Down 43 46 12
Deprivation Quintile
Characteristic Did not look for childcare provider % Yes % No %
Northern Ireland 42 46 13
1st quintile - most deprived 48 39 14
5th quintile - least deprived 33 55 12
Urban Rural
Characteristic Did not look for childcare provider % Yes % No %
Northern Ireland 42 46 13
Urban 42 46 12
Rural 41 44 15

All households: 5,237

6.5 - Awareness of family support website (household and area characteristics)

Figure 6.5 shows responses to the question -

Are you aware of the [Family Support NI website] (https://www.familysupportni.gov.uk/)?
LGD
Deprivation Quintile
Urban vs Rural

All households: 5,237

Chapter 7. Households, work and childcare

Among households

• Households were more likely (58%) to say parent(s) or guardian(s) work, education or training decisions had changed as a result of childcare needs than to say they had not (42%; Figure 7.1).

• Across all local government districts, households were more likely to say parent(s) or guardian(s) work, education or training decisions had changed as a result of childcare. This was also the case in both urban (56%) and rural (61%) areas.

• In rural areas, respondents were more likely to say parent(s) or guardian(s) work, education or training decisions had changed as a result of childcare than those in urban areas (Figure 7.1).

• Of all geographies examined, only the most deprived areas were more likely to say parent(s) or guardian(s) work, education or training decisions had not changed as a result of childcare. In the most deprived areas, 47% of households stated that parent(s) or guardian(s) work, education or training decisions had changed as a result of childcare needs, compared to 69% in the least derived areas (Figure 7.1).

• The most common change to a household’s work, education or training was a reduced hours working pattern (69%). Twenty percent changed jobs and 18% were not able to attend or delayed further or higher training (Figure 7.3).

• The most common reasons for these changes were to look after children (82% of households) or due to the cost of childcare (60% of households; Figure 7.4).

• If childcare issues were not a consideration, 55% of households said they would increase their hours, 38% would go for a promotion and 29% would enter or continue education or training (Figure 7.5).

7.1 - Did work, education or training decisions change due to childcare needs

Figure 7.1 shows the proportion who responsed yes to the question -

Has any parent(s) or guardian(s) work, education or training decisions changed as a result of childcare needs?
LGD
Deprivation Quintile
Urban vs Rural

All households: 5,237

7.2 - How many parents work, education or training decisions did childcare needs affect

Figure 7.2 shows percentage of households where 1 or 2 parents’ work, education or training decisions were affected

All households: 2,676


Note: Figures include cases where the household answered yes or no to ‘Did work, education or training decisions change due to childcare needs’ and if yes, also provided a response to the question for who this effected.

7.3 - How did work, education or training change

Figure 7.3 shows responses to the question -

How did the household’s work, education or training change? (Please select all that apply)

All households: 3,225

Note: Percentages will not total 100% as parents could select more than one reason.

7.4 - Why did work, education or training change

Figure 7.4 shows responses to the question -

Why did the household’s work, education or training decisions change? (Select all that apply)
Why Change % Urban households % Rural households % Households
To look after child/children 81 84 82
Cost of childcare 60 60 60
Working hours not flexible 26 26 26
Childcare support from relatives or friends 9 10 10
Changed job to work closer to home/childcare facilities 8 10 9
Health reasons 7 5 6
Children being older, more independent or starting school 5 4 5
Change in salary 4 3 4
Other 3 2 3
Increased availability of provider who could support children with additional needs 1 1 1
Increased availability of local childcare 1 <1 <1
Employer provided the option to work more hours <1 <1 <1
Employer covering some or all the childcare costs <1 <1 <1

All households: 3,225

Note: Percentages will not total 100% as parents could select more than one reason.

7.5 - What would change, if childcare was not a consideration

Figure 7.5 shows responses to the question -

What changes to work, education and training decisions would your household make if you did not have to consider childcare for your child/ren?
7.5 Overall
7.5 Urban vs Rural

All households: 3,225

Note: Percentages will not total 100% as parents could select more than one reason.

Chapter 8. Children who have Special Education Needs or limiting conditions or illnesses

Among children

• Twenty six percent said finding a childcare provider for a child with special educational needs or a long lasting / limiting illness was ‘very easy’ or ‘fairly easy’. Twenty eight percent said it was ‘fairly difficult’ or ‘very difficult’. Six percent said they were unable to find a provider (Figure 8.1).

• The second and third most deprived quintiles were more likely to say it was difficult to find a childcare provider for a child with special educational needs or a long lasting / limiting illness, the least deprived areas were more likely to say it was easy to find a provider.

• Those unable to find a provider ranged from 3% in the least deprived areas to 10% in the most deprived areas (Figure 8.1).

• Seventy percent of children with special educational needs or a long lasting / limiting illness had a childcare provider for which it was either strongly agreed or agreed that the provider meets all needs (Figure 8.3).

• Five percent of white children with special educational needs or a long lasting / limiting illness do not use a childcare provider, compared to 13% for all other ethnicities (Figure 8.3).

• Nine percent of households with white children with special educational needs or a long lasting / limiting illness stated that providers do not meet their needs, compared to 13% for all other ethnicities (Figure 8.4).

• Twenty seven percent of children with special educational needs used a non-immediate family member, such as a grandparent or other relative) for childcare. This was the most common type followed by paid for after-school club/childcare in a school (13%), breakfast club/childcare in a school (13%) and paid for after-school club/childcare not in a school (6%; Figure 8.5).

• This was very similar to children with a long lasting / limiting illness, with twenty nine percent using a non-immediate family member, such as a grandparent or other relative) for childcare. This was again the most common type (29%) followed by paid for after-school club/childcare in a school (13%), breakfast club/childcare in a school (12%) and paid for after-school club/childcare not in a school (5%; Figure 8.6).

• Twenty nine percent of children aged 0-11 with special educational needs or a long lasting / limiting illness used paid childcare provision, this was 30% for only children aged 5-11 and 26% for only children aged 0-4 (Figure 8.7).

• The average monthly childcare cost for a child with special educational needs or a long lasting / limiting illness was £180. This rises to £533 for a child using childcare for 21-30 hours per week.

8.1 - Ease of finding a provider for children with Special Educational Needs or a limiting condition/ illness

Figure 8.1 shows responses to the statement -

Finding a childcare provider for CHILDSNAME was …


8.1 Select the tabs to view by household and area characteristics.

8.1 Overall
8.1 Family Type
8.1 Deprivation Quintile
8.1 Urban vs Rural

All children with SEN and/ or a limiting condition/ illness: 924


8.2 - Ease of finding a provider for children with Special Educational Needs or a limiting condition/ illness

Figure 8.2 shows responses to the statement -

Finding a childcare provider for CHILDSNAME was …

8.2 Select the tabs to view by child characteristics.

8.2 Age
8.2 Ethnicity

All children with SEN and/ or a limiting condition/ illness: 924

8.3 - Provider meets all needs for children with Special Educational Needs or a limiting condition/ illness (by household and area characteristics)

Figure 8.4 shows responses to the statement -

My childcare provider meets all of CHILDSNAME’s needs …


Select the tabs to view by household and area characteristics.

8.3 Overall
8.3 Family type
8.3 Deprivation Quintile
8.3 Urban vs Rural

All children with SEN and/ or a limiting condition/ illness: 672


8.4 - Provider meets all needs for children with Special Educational Needs or a limiting condition/ illness (by child characteristics)

Figure 8.4 shows responses to the statement -

My childcare provider meets all of CHILDSNAME’s needs …

Select the tabs to view by child characteristics.

8.4 Age
8.4 Ethnicity

All children with SEN and/ or a limiting condition/ illness: 672

8.5 - Use of childcare providers for children with Special Educational Needs

Bar chart showing percentage of each type of care used by children with Special Educational Needs

Figure 8.5 Type of care used

All children with SEN: 1,218

8.6 - Use of childcare providers for children with a limiting condition/ illness

Bar chart showing percentage of each type of care used by children with a limiting condition/ illness

Figure 8.6 Type of care used

All children with a limiting condition/ illness: 955

8.7 - Paying for use of childcare providers for children with Special Educational Needs or a limiting condition/ illness

Bar chart showing percentage of children with SEN/ limiting condition or illness paying for childcare by age bands

Figure 8.7 Paying for childcare by age bands

All children with SEN and/ or a limiting condition/ illness: 828

8.8 - Monthly childcare payments per child with Special Educational Needs or a limiting condition/ illness

Figure showing reported average monthly cost of childcare per child with SEN and/or a limiting condition or illness by hours attended per week.

Figure 8.8 Average monthly payment for childcare by hours used

Hours Attended per week Median paid
All £180.00
0-10 £80.00
11-20 £280.00
21-30 £533.00
31-40 £400.00
41+ £335.00

All children with SEN and/ or a limiting condition/ illness: 534

8.9 - Receipt of financial support for childcare (SEN / limiting condition or illness families)

Percentage breakdown of households with children with SEN/ limiting condition or illness receiving each form of support. Answers were in response to the following question -

Do you currently claim any of the following financial support for childcare? (Please select all that apply)

Figure 8.9 - Receipt of financial support
Type of Financial Support % Households with child/ren with SEN/ limiting condition or illness % All Households
Universal Credit 46 32
Do not claim any support (Using Childcare) 23 28
Do not claim any support (Not using Childcare) 17 19
Tax-Free Childcare 9 14
NI Childcare Subsidy Scheme 5 9
Childcare Vouchers 2 2
Tax Credits 3 2
Other <1 <1

All children with SEN and/ or a limiting condition or illness: 1,305

Appendices

Appendix A: Technical Notes

The Northern Ireland Childcare Survey 2024

Data Collection

The information presented in this publication derives from the Northern Ireland Childcare Survey, a Northern Ireland wide household survey administered by Central Survey Unit (CSU), Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA).

It is based on a sample of addresses which administrative data indicated contained children aged up to 11 years old. Age was calculated at 2nd July 2024. The 2024 survey was the first time the NI Childcare Survey was delivered. The survey was open for responses for six weeks between 4 November and 13 December 2024. The survey is designed to provide a source of information on a wide range of social, financial and economic issues relevant to childcare in Northern Ireland. The Northern Ireland Childcare Survey questions are included in Appendix C of this report.

Data Privacy & Quality

During Summer 2024, the Census Office Admin Data Team were asked to add flags to the NISRA Address Register (NAR) using existing administrative sources, to indicate households likely to contain children aged 11 years or younger (as at 2nd July 2024). The flags allowed the Census Office Addressing Team to create a targeted sampling frame with the aim of targeting more successfully to eligible households.

The Admin Data Team created an extract containing a list of Unique Property Reference Numbers (UPRNs) with a child aged 11 years or younger present on a range of administrative data sources at each address. Alongside each UPRN were 12 derived flags to indicate the presence of a child for each single year of age from 0 to 11. The flags were anonymised so as to make the extract less disclosive but will allow the Addressing Team to draw samples of an equal size for each age. Additionally, the extract does not identify the source of the data.

The administrative data sources used to create the extract include: - BSO Medical Card Register July 2024 (‘Live’ registrations only), - GRO Birth Registrations for 2024 Q1, - DE School Census for the 2023/24 academic year.

The Data Sharing Agreements (DSA) in place with the suppliers of those sources enabled the Admin Data Team to use the data to add additional intelligence to the NAR, assisting with the creation of a targeted sampling frame of eligible households for use by Census Office and CSU.

Specifically, each DSA includes the following purpose:

“Supporting the development of smart address flags in the NISRA Address Register that will be used in the census enumeration and in both general and targeted sampling frames. For example, the use of elderly only markers or areas with lower coverage of broadband to assist with the use of paper forms in the census. The NISRA Address Register will be used by the Census Office and also by the Central Survey Unit in NISRA which will use the NISRA Address Register to target social surveys more successfully to eligible households”

Sample data was provided to CSU and various validation checks were carried out as part of the processing. CSU is the leading social survey research organisation in Northern Ireland and is one of the main business areas of NISRA, an Agency within the Department of Finance. CSU has a long track record and a wealth of experience in the design, management and analysis of behavioural and attitude surveys in the context of a wide range of social policy issues. CSU procedures are consistent with the Code of Practice for Statistics.

Whilst data quality is considered to be very good, note that all survey estimates are subject to a degree of error and this must be taken account of when considering results. This error will be reasonably small for the majority of Northern Ireland level results but care should be taken when looking at results based on smaller breakdowns.

In addition to validation checks carried out by CSU, further quality checks were carried out by Childcare Survey Analysis Branch when data tables were received in secure SQL databases. These involved recoding certain responses were there was certainty responses had been entered incorrectly (for example, a 3 year old attending post-primary school), reformatting of data tables to allow simpler analytical processes (specifically around multiple response questions) and correction of errors found within data tables, such as missing data when a parent had responded that childcare for Child B was the same as Child A.

Respondents

The Childcare Survey is a Northern Ireland wide household survey administered by Central Survey Unit, Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. The sample for this survey consisted of a systematic random sample of 19,747 addresses selected from several administrative datasets. The findings reported for 2024 are based on 5,315 household responses received. Responses included information related to specific individuals (parents/carers) and households in general.

Overall, the 5,315 household response included 9,331 parents and 9,877 children. However as not everyone responded to every question, respondent numbers for each question differs. The number of respondents who answered each question, i.e. the base number, is stated below each Figure and/or the associated chart. For further detail see A1 and A2 below.

A1: Selected unweighted sample breakdowns with comparison to Census 2021


Image showing Childcare Survey Achieved Sample. Approximately 20,000 households were invited to take part in the NI Childcare Survey. 5,135 households responded, and overall response rate of 27%. This response included: 9,331 parents, 9,877 children of which 3,495 were aged 4 or under. The population census had 61.1% urban while this survey sample had 60.4%. The population census had 15% aged 0-1, 24% aged 2-4, 26% aged 5-7 and 35% aged 6-11. The corresponding percentaged in this survey sample were 18%, 27%, 26% and 29%. Council achieved samples were also similar to the census.

A2: Further unweighted sample breakdowns
Multiple Deprivation Measure deciles (Households) Sample %
1 - most deprived 6.4
2 8.1
3 8.5
4 11.4
5 10.2
6 9.7
7 10.4
8 11.6
9 11.9
10 - least deprived 11.8
Number of children aged 0 to 11 in family (Households) Sample %
1 34.8
2 45.0
3+ 16.8
 Family Type Survey %
Single parent household with dependants 21.3
Couple parent household with dependants 78.7

Some questions were only asked if the respondent had answered with a specific response to a previous question. By their nature, results for those questions are based on a subset of the full sample.

Weighting

Analysis of the Northern Ireland Childcare Survey has been weighted for specific demographic and geographic variables to ensure results presented are representative of current household and child populations in Northern Ireland.

Advice has been taken from statisticians and surveys which produce statistics on similar subjects and with similar data, as well as considering the specific requirements of this survey.

The sample obtained through the survey fieldwork was good quality and the effect of the weighting process on final results has been minimal because of that quality in representativeness. However, some weighting has been applied to frequency questions, but not cost or hours attended questions, to ensure the results are fully representative of the Northern Ireland population.

Cost and time data are more susceptible to erroneous results when weighted and data entry cal also be of varying quality given the nature of such concepts as time and cost, compared to responses provided to simpler yes/no or multiple choice type questions. Calculating averages can be skewed by outliers or large value which can distort results disproportionately. Therefore as well as not applying weights to these response data, cost responses were also capped at £1,200 per child per month. This was in line with the top end of other data available on childcare costs.

Weights were developed to adjust for slight imbalances in the sample at local government district level, urban/rural geography and Northern Ireland multiple deprivation deciles. To ensure household data was representative at the household levels included in published data weights were also developed for family type to correct an underrepresentation of lone parent households when compared to Census 2021.

As analysis was also published at the child level, single year of age weights for children aged 0 - 11 were also developed, as there was overrepresentation of children aged 0-6 and underrepresentation of children aged 7-11 in the sample.

Confidence Intervals and Standard Error

No sample is likely to reflect precisely the characteristics of the population it is drawn from because of both sampling and non-sampling errors. An estimate of the amount of error due to the sampling process can be calculated. For a simple random sample design, in which every member of the sampled population has an equal and independent chance of inclusion in the sample, the sampling error of any percentage, p, can be calculated by the formula: s.e. (p) = √(p*(100 – p)/n where n is the number of respondents on which the percentage is based. The sample for the NI Childcare Survey is drawn as a random sample, and thus this formula can be used to calculate the sampling error of any percentage estimate from the survey.

For more detail, please see Appendix B.

Multiple Response Questions

Multiple response questions are those for which respondents can give more than one response if they wish. In such questions, when individual percentages presented are summed they may add to more than 100%.

Rounding Conventions

Percentages presented have been rounded to whole numbers and as a consequence some percentages may not sum to 100. 0% may reflect rounding down of values under 0.5.

Significant Difference

Any statements in this report regarding differences between groups such as urban and rural areas, most and least deprived areas etc., are statistically significant at the 95% confidence level. This means that we can be 95% confident that the differences between groups are actual differences and have not just arisen by chance. Both the base numbers and the sizes of the percentages have an effect on statistical significance.

Therefore on occasion, a difference between two groups may be statistically significant while the same difference in percentage points between two other groups may not be statistically significant. The reason for this is because the larger the base numbers or the closer the percentages are to 0 or 100, the smaller the standard errors. This leads to increased precision of the estimates which increases the likelihood that the difference between the proportions is actually significant and did not just arise by chance.

Respondent Groups

The following respondent groups were considered:

Urban and rural areas

Urban and rural areas have been classified using the statistical classification of settlements defined by the Inter-Departmental Urban-Rural Definition Group.

Bands A to E are classified as Urban. This includes Belfast Metropolitan Urban Area (Band A), Derry Urban Area (Band B) and large, medium and small towns (Bands C-E) with populations greater than or equal to 5,000 people.

Bands F to H are classified as rural. This includes intermediate settlements (Band F), villages (Band G) and small villages, hamlets and open countryside (Band H) with populations of less than 5,000 people and including open countryside.

Local Government District

Local Government Districts include the 11 district council areas: Antrim & Newtownabbey Armagh, Banbridge & Craigavon Belfast Causeway Coast & Glens Derry & Strabane Fermanagh & Omagh Lisburn & Castlereagh Mid & East Antrim Mid Ulster Newry, Mourne & Down North Down & Ards

Multiple Deprivation Measure

The measures, known as NIMDM 2017, were informed through public consultation and Steering Group agreement, and provide a mechanism for ranking the 890 Super Output areas (SOAs) in Northern Ireland from the most deprived (rank 1) to the least deprived (rank 890).

They include ranks of the areas for each of 7 distinct types (or domains) of deprivation, which have been combined to produce an overall multiple deprivation measure (MDM) rank of the areas.

Deprivation quintiles 1 - Most deprived, 2, 3, 4, 5 - Least deprived


### Appendix B: Confidence intervals

A confidence interval represents the range of values in which the true population value is likely to lie. It is based on the sample estimate and the confidence level. As the percentages are calculated from a representative sample of Northern Ireland households with children aged up to 11 years old, a confidence interval can be calculated to estimate the level of uncertainty in the sample estimate.

B1: Confidence intervals for selected NI Childcare Survey results
Measure Estimate (%) Sample (n) 95% Confidence Range Confidence Interval +/-
% of households who are using some form of childcare (Figure 1.2) 63 5315 62 - 64% 0.010
% of households who are using some form of childcare during school holidays (Figure 3.2) 61 5315 60 - 62% 0.010
Median £ families are paying for use of childcare providers (monthly) (Figure 4.2) 225 4032 £217 - £233 8.000
% of households who said childcare was very affordable (Figure 4.9) 7 3341 4 – 10 % 0.030
% of households who said quality of their childcare was very good (Figure 1.9) 60 3206 56 – 64 % 0.040
% of households who said childcare provision meets all their childcare needs (Figure 1.10) 81 3052 79 – 82 % 0.015

The 95% confidence interval for respondents who said childcare was very affordable is 7% +/- 3%. This means that there is a 95% probability that the proportion of Northern Ireland households said childcare was very affordable lies between 4% and 10%.

Contact Details

Published by: Childcare Survey Analysis Team

Lead Statisticians: Michael Thompson and Leonie Robinson

Telephone: 028 90 540878, 028 91 279992

Email: michael.thompson@nisra.gov.uk, leonie.robinson@education-ni.gov.uk

Accessibility contact

Please contact Dissemination Branch for assistance with accessibility requirements or alternative formats. Contact details are:

Email:

Telephone: +44 (0)300 200 7836

Dissemination Branch
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