Scottish Household Survey: childcare topic report

This report presents data on the use of childcare by households with a child aged between two and five years old (not yet at school) using data from the 2019 Scottish Household Survey.


Footnotes

1. Some local authorities have already started to roll out 1,140 hours. Some respondents to this survey will already be receiving 1,140 hours entitlement. Some local authorities also have discretionary powers to provide funded ELC to children who are not eligible for statutory funded ELC. Further, local authorities have discretion as to whether or not children whose entry to primary school is deferred are entitled to additional ELC funding. In this chapter, 'funded ELC' refers to both forms of funding.

2. For more information see Annex A: Statutory entitlement

3. For more information see Annex A: Entitlement for Two-Year-Olds

4. Further information on the ELC expansion is available at: https://www.gov.scot/policies/early-education-and-care/early-learning-and-childcare/

5. Further information on the ELC Census and SSELC is available at: https://www.gov.scot/policies/early-education-and-care/early-learning-and-childcare/

6. In this chapter, childcare is used as an umbrella term to encompass formal and informal childcare, as well as what is defined as ELC in the Children and Young People's (Scotland) Act 2014

7. These statistics can be requested from shs@gov.scot

8. See Annex A: Statistical significance

9. The SHS question referred to nursery or pre-school. These types of childcare are equivalent so this report will refer to nursery throughout.

10. Two-year-olds are entitled to statutory funded ELC if they meet various criteria as set out in the Children and Young People Act 2014 and the Provision of Early Learning and Childcare (Specified Children) (Scotland) Order 2014 (SSI 2014/196). Some local authorities provide discretionary funding for some two-year-olds who do not qualify for the statutory entitlement. More information is available at: https://www.gov.scot/policies/early-education-and-care/elc-for-two-year-old-children/

11. Family centres are not included in this figure as the numbers included in this breakdown are too low.

12. Remote small towns are not included in this figure as the numbers included in this breakdown are too low.

13. A small family is up to two children and a large family is three or more children in the household.

14. It should be noted that the definition of a single parent does not make any distinction between situations where a child has regular contact and/or partly resides with their other parent and a child who solely resides and is cared for by one parent.

15. Data from those who use some type of childcare

16. 'None' and 'my child is not entitled to any funded childcare' are combined in the table because some respondents reported 'none' when their child is not entitled to funded childcare

17. Responses where the household either refused to say or did not know how much they spent on childcare during school term-time have been excluded from this figure.

18. It should be noted that the definition of a single parent does not make any distinction between situations where a child has regular contact and/or partly resides with their other parent and a child who solely resides with and is cared for by one parent.

19. Responses where the household either refused to say or did not know how much they spent on childcare during school term-time have been excluded from this figure.

20. Responses where the household either refused to say or did not know how much they spent on childcare during school holidays were excluded from this figure.

Contact

Email: children.statistics@gov.scot

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