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New DfE parent survey highlights early years cost and availability challenges

On
Jul 31, 2023

by Jess Gibson

Parents and carers are increasingly struggling with the cost and availability of places in early years settings, the 2022 Childcare and Early Years Parent Survey has revealed. 

The Department for Education (DfE) released the survey results on 27 July 2023, following an almost year-long interview period from April 2022 to February 2023. A representative sample of 6,017 parents with children aged 0 to 14 in England was interviewed.  

The responses were then compared with the 鈥渕ost recently comparable survey wave鈥 to mark any changes in attitudes and trends among parents. 

The statistics 鈥 which can be accessed in full 鈥 show that: 

 

  • Since 2021, there has been an increase in the percentage of parents of children aged four and under finding it difficult or very difficult to meet early years costs, rising from 24% in 2021 to 32% in 2022. 

 

  • There has been a fall in the percentage of parents of 0- to four-year-old children who feel that the number of local early years places is 鈥榓bout right鈥 (from 46% in 2021 to 41% in 2022).  
     

  • There has been an increase in the percentage of parents of children aged four years and under who feel there aren鈥檛 enough early places 鈥 from 28% in 2021 to 34% in 2022. 
     

  • The percentage of working mothers of children aged four and under who said that reliable early years鈥 provision helps them go to work dropped from 64% in 2021 to 60% in 2022. 

 

Commenting, Neil Leitch, CEO of the Early Years Alliance, said: 

"Today鈥檚 survey results show exactly what happens when you leave a sector underfunded and inadequately supported. 
 
"Not only are almost a third of families with pre-school aged children struggling with early years costs, but 34% said there were not enough childcare and early years places. We know that nurseries, pre-schools and childminders are doing all they can to both keep costs down for parents and provide flexible places, but, when faced with years of underfunding and an ever-worsening recruitment and retention crisis, it鈥檚 fast becoming an impossible task. 
 
"What鈥檚 more, the fact only 60% of mothers with children under four said having reliable childcare helped them to work is deeply concerning, especially when considering the upcoming expansion of the 30-hour offer. If the system is not working now, adding more hours while continuing to underfund providers is clearly only going to make the situation much worse. 
 
"If the government truly values the importance of the early years, it must urgently engage with the sector to ensure that families can benefit from early years places and providers are able to deliver high-quality places."