answer text |
<p>The department welcomes the contribution that Mumsnet and their partner organisations
have made around this topic. However, it is important to note that this survey is
unweighted, and the sample size represents a small proportion of all parents with
a child or children in the early years.</p><p>Ipsos MORI conducted wave 9 of our parent
poll, ‘Childcare use, perceived impact on child development, information on working
from home, and awareness and use of free entitlements for families of 0-4 year-olds
during COVID-19’ in July 2021, with a smaller but representative sample of 1,000 parents
of children aged 0-4 in England. This is available at: <a href="https://www.ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk/childcare-use-perceived-impact-child-development-information-working-home-and-awareness-and-use"
target="_blank">https://www.ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk/childcare-use-perceived-impact-child-development-information-working-home-and-awareness-and-use</a>.</p><p>The
data has been weighted to match the population profile of parents of children aged
0-4 in England by region, social grade, and the age of the selected child.</p><p>The
Parent Poll asked different questions to the Mumsnet survey but key points from the
findings include:</p><ul><li>The affordability of weekly childcare costs is unchanged
for just over half of parents compared to before the COVID-19 outbreak, and for 3
in 10 parents their weekly childcare costs are now easier to meet.</li><li>The majority
of parents (91%) who used formal childcare before the COVID-19 outbreak, and are currently
using it, say that their child is spending about the same number of hours or more
in formal childcare as they did before.</li><li>More than half (56%) of parents report
that their child is currently using formal childcare, this increases to 94% when looking
at just those children who were receiving formal childcare before the COVID-19 outbreak.</li><li>Only
6% of parents whose child was not receiving formal childcare said they would like
to use formal childcare but have not been able to find a suitable provider. This is
only approximately 2% of all parents.</li><li>Nearly two thirds of parents of 0-4
year olds currently using childcare (64%) agree that the hours their child(ren) can
access formal or informal childcare/school fits with the working hours of the adults
in the household.</li></ul>
|
|