Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) – parents' views and use: research findings 2025

6 Accessibility of ELC

This chapter discusses parents’ views and experiences of the accessibility of ELC, both funded ELC and paid-for childcare.

6.1 Accessing ELC

All survey respondents were asked if they had experienced any issues in ‘accessing childcare that meets their family’s needs’^[24]. They were provided with a list of 10 responses (plus ‘Other’) and asked to select all that applied to them. Around three-fifths of respondents (61%) said they had not experienced any issues in accessing childcare (Figure 6.1). Subgroup differences can be viewed in Supplementary Tables E1a-c.

Base: All parent respondents (unweighted base, n=7,167)

For those who had experienced challenges accessing childcare (39%), the most common issues mentioned were that there were not enough places available locally or they couldn’t find any available providers near to them (19%), there was a lack of flexibility or choice in opening hours or sessions available to them (14%), and there was a lack of provision in school holidays (11%) (Figure 6.1).

Those living in remote areas were more likely than those living in accessible areas to say that there were ‘not enough places available locally or they couldn’t find any available providers near me’ (25%, compared with 19%) and that there was a ‘lack of provision in school holidays’ (18%, compared with 11%).

Those in households with two parents in work were more likely than those with one or no parents in work to say that there was a ‘lack of flexibility or choice in opening hours or sessions available to them’ (17% compared with 12% and 3% respectively) and a ’lack of provision in school holidays’ (13% compared with 8% and 5% respectively).

6.1.1 Factors that made accessing ELC easier

In interviews, parents spoke about their experiences of accessing ELC and what helped them to do so. Participants commonly mentioned that having their children at an ELC setting close to home was a factor that made accessing ELC easier. An ELC setting within walking distance made drop-offs and pick-ups more straightforward and less disruptive to daily lives, particularly for those who could work from home, were not working, or experienced long-term health conditions that affected their energy levels or mobility. Having their children at an ELC setting within walking distance also meant parents did not need to rely on having a car or public transport to get to and from the setting. This was particularly beneficial for those on low incomes and for families who lived in areas where public transport was limited, infrequent and/or expensive. Living or working near the ELC setting was also beneficial for participants with children with ASN who wanted to be in close proximity in case they were needed for support.

I have to leave work a lot to go and calm down both of the kids, so like where my work is, it’s literally not even a 5 minute walk from the school and nursery because the school and nursery are combined. […] I wouldn’t have been able to put them anywhere else really. (Parent of a three- to five-year-old)

Factors that helped participants to access ELC included: having a child in an ELC setting which is on the way to a parent’s employment; attending a setting which offers hours that fit well around working hours (particularly where ELC opens before 9am and closes after 3pm); and attending a setting which is in the same location as a school where older children attend, and offers similar hours to the ELC setting. Having support from others with drop-offs and pick-ups was another factor that made accessing funded ELC easier. Some participants had partners, family members, friends or childminders that could help which enabled parents to work or take older children to school. Further information on parents’ experiences of accessing funded ELC can be found in Chapter 8.

6.1.2 Factors that made accessing ELC more difficult

In interviews and open-text responses, parents also spoke about the factors that made accessing ELC more difficult. The availability of funded ELC placements was central to challenges faced by families. Participants reported that they were not able to access ELC close to home because there were no spaces available. For some, this was because they had moved house after ELC spaces had been originally allocated so often local provision was not available. There were also participants who had more than one ELC-aged child and their children were placed at different ELC settings because there was insufficient space to place children together. As a result, they had to travel to multiple ELC settings. For those who had to rely on public transport, the journey could take over an hour, which had an impact on the parents’ ability to work.

I’m okay because I drive, but I don’t know how like if someone else was in the situation that doesn’t drive, where you’ve got a three year old with a full government placement at one end of the town and then your two year old has been allocated a place at the bottom of the town, there’s no way someone that does’nae drive would be able to do that. (Parent of a two-year-old and a three- to five-year-old)

Public transport was also not a viable option for all families, which made accessing ELC difficult. For some, public transport to settings was not available, particularly but not exclusively in rural locations. Some children with ASN found crowds distressing which made travelling by bus at peak times to ELC impossible.

I couldn’t use public transport with [name of child] as her autism got worse and more prevalent, she wasn’t able to be on a bus when it was busy. So with her 9 to 3 placement there’s no way that we could be on a bus with lots of other school children and if they were being loud or you know wild she wouldn’t cope with that. So I had to learn to drive to make sure that I could take them and go and pick her up if she needs picked up. (Parent of a two-year-old and a three- to five-year-old)

There were also participants who reported a lack of choice of ELC settings in their local area. In interviews it was common for parents to say that they did not have a choice of ELC settings for their children because only one setting was available. This could be challenging for families because the hours offered may not meet the needs of the family, affecting the parents’ ability to work or the number of hours they can work, either because of the hours on offer or whether term time only or year-round provision is available.

6.2 Improving the accessibility of ELC

As highlighted above, the most common challenge parents faced in accessing funded ELC was a lack of local provision. This meant some parents had to travel to access funded ELC, relying on cars, taxis or public transport. To address this challenge, parents in interviews and open-text survey responses would like to see more funded ELC provision made available locally.