Scottish Household Survey 2025 Childcare

Types of childcare

There are many types of childcare available in Scotland, including:

• Local authority nursery (including pre-school)
• Private nursery (including pre-school)
• Third sector nursery (including pre-school)
• Childminder
• Playgroup
• Family centre
• A relative or friend

Some parents/carers choose to use one of the above types of childcare or a mix of two or more types. Others choose to use no childcare. Overall, 83% of households with a child aged two to five years and not yet at school used at least one of the above types of childcare, similar to other years (Table 1).

In 2025, the most common forms of childcare used were a local authority nursery and a private nursery, used by 43% and 27% respectively. Despite some variation between years, use of these has remained broadly similar since 2018. Childcare was provided by a relative or friend for 25% of households. 4% used a childminder. Although this is similar to 2024, it is a decrease from 10% in 2018. 17% of households used no childcare, similar to other years (Table 1 and Figure 1).

Figure 1 Types of childcare used by year

Types of childcare used by households with a child aged between 2 and 5 years old not yet at school, by year. Households could select more than one type of childcare. This data is also available in Table 1.

The vast majority of households with a child aged three years, or aged four or five years and not yet at school used some form of childcare (92% and 93% respectively). Use of childcare was lower among households with a two year old, with 65% using some form of childcare (Table 2).

The most common form of childcare used by households with a two year old was a relative or friend (32%). Use of this form of childcare decreased as the age of the child increased, with childcare provided by a relative or friend for 18% of those with a four or five year old.

Nurseries were the most commonly used type of childcare for households with a child aged three years old or aged four or aged five (and not yet at school). Local authority nurseries were used by 59% of households with a three year old and 65% with a four or five year old, with private nurseries used by 27% and 25% respectively. A child may attend one or more types of nursery. Use of a local authority nursery was lower among households with a two year old (10%), while use of a private nursery (28%) was similar across the child ages (Table 2).

These differences by age in whether childcare is used and what type are likely to be due, at least in part, to the eligibility criteria for accessing government funded Early Learning and Childcare (ELC). The statutory entitlement to funded ELC begins the term after the child’s third birthday, although some local authorities offer funded provision earlier, for example from the child’s third birthday. Funded ELC can be accessed through local authority childcare providers, some private and voluntary providers, and some childminders. Around a quarter of two year olds are also eligible for funded ELC as they meet certain criteria, and retain this eligibility until their three year old eligibility begins. Therefore, it is important to note that not all two and three year olds are eligible for funded ELC.

Type of childcare use varied by area deprivation, as defined by the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD). Use of local authority nurseries decreased as area deprivation decreased. Around a half (52%) of households in the 20% most deprived areas used a local authority nursery compared with a third (33%) of those in the 20% least deprived areas. Use of private nurseries increased as deprivation decreased. Around a tenth (11%) of households in the 20% most deprived areas used a private nursery compared with a half (50%) of households in the 20% least deprived areas (Table 3).

Type of childcare used also varied with household income, when comparing four bands of net annual income for the household – under £15,000 per year (band 1), £15,000 to £30,000 (band 2), £30,000 to £45,000 (band 3) and over £45,000 per year (band 4). Due to the small number of responses within band 1, results for this band are not included. Use of a local authority nursery decreased as income increased, from 53% of households in income band 2 to 36% of households in band 4. Use of a private nursery increased as household income increased, from 6% in band 2, to 40% in band 4. Childminder use was low across all income bands, but increased as income increased. It was highest in band 4 (6%) and lowest in band 2 (1%).

The proportion of households not using any form of childcare was similar for both those in rural areas (16%) and those in other areas (17%). The most common type of childcare used in both areas was a local authority nursery (42% and 44% respectively), followed by a private nursery (24% and 27%), and a relative or friend (23% and 25%) (Table 4).

A local authority nursery was the most common type of childcare used by all family types (single parent families, small families and large families). For both small and large families, the next most common type of childcare used was a private nursery (33% and 21% respectively). Only 10% of single parent families used a private nursery. A relative or friend was a common childcare type used by all family types, used by 25% of single parent families, 26% of small families, and 18% of large families (Table 5).