Parents’ experiences of early learning and childcare (ELC)

About the study

In October 2022, the Scottish Government set out plans to evaluate the impact of the expansion of funded early learning and childcare (ELC) from 600 to 1140 hours. The evaluation seeks to assess progress against intermediate outcomes regarding the provision of high quality, flexible, accessible and affordable ELC for all parents and carers, as well as longer term outcomes for children, parents and carers, and families. The evaluation has a number of strands, including this research.

The overarching aim of this research was to provide up-to-date information on parents’ and carers’ use, views and experiences of ELC, with an emphasis on funded ELC. The research explored parents’ and carers’ perceptions of the flexibility, accessibility, quality and affordability of ELC, drawing out any relevant comparisons with similar data reported in 2022.

Findings

The experiences of funded ELC were largely positive for a majority of parents, though a range of challenges were also described. The key findings on parents’ experiences of funded ELC, and wider childcare, are summarised below.

Use of funded ELC

• There was a high take-up of funded ELC hours for three- to five-year-olds (95%) and eligible two-year-olds (83%) among parents who responded to the survey. Local authority (LA) nurseries were the most common type of funded ELC used, followed by private nurseries, for both age groups.
• The majority of those using funded ELC hours were using the full entitlement, though this was higher for three- to five-year-olds (87%) than for eligible two-year-olds (73%). Parents of three- to five-year-olds most likely to use their full entitlement of funded hours were in households: with one child (91%), with at least one child with ASN (88%), and living in accessible areas (88%).
• About one-half (47%) of parents of three- to five-year-olds only used funded childcare. A similar proportion (48%) used funded ELC as well as childcare they paid-for (24%), informal childcare (17%), or a combination of paid-for and informal childcare (7%). Interviews and open-text survey responses showed that this was largely because funded ELC hours alone did not cover their childcare needs.

Affordability

• Of parents who used paid-for childcare, on average £726 per month was spent on childcare. The amount spent on childcare per month was higher for parents with children aged under three.
• However, around two-fifths of those who paid for childcare had experienced either some (32%) or significant difficulties (10%) affording childcare costs in the last year. The number of paid hours, paying for childcare costs upfront and travel to reach the place of childcare made affording childcare difficult. The cost of childcare limited some parents’ ability to work and requiredsome to seek financial support from family.

Accessibility

• Two-fifths (39%) of all respondents experienced challenges accessing childcare. The most commonly reported challenges were: that there were not enough places available locally (19%); a lack of flexibility in choice of opening hours or sessions (14%); and a lack of provision in school holidays (11%).
• Some parents experienced challenges related to provision for their children with ASN. Challenges included: staff not having sufficient training, experience, skills or time to provide sufficient support to children with ASN; not enough staff being available to meet the needs of the child; and ELC environments not being suitable for children with ASN. Some parents felt that staff did not take their concerns seriously which could result in their children’s behaviour or distress escalating before action was taken.

Flexibility

• Overall, most parents of eligible two-year-olds (95%) and three- to five-year-olds (90%) were satisfied that they had been offered the flexibility to use funded hours in a way that met their family’s needs.
• Seven percent of parents of three- to five-year-olds and 4% of parents of eligible two-year-olds were dissatisfied with the flexibility of funded ELC. Reasons for dissatisfaction included: limited or no choice in the funded ELC providers they could use locally; hours being insufficient to fit in with work schedules, making it difficult for some parents to work full-time or at all; and the hours provided being too long for their children, either due to the child’s age or their ASN.

Quality

• The majority of parents (88%) reported that they were satisfied with the overall quality of their main funded ELC provider. This included the quality of indoor and outdoor spaces, meal provision, provision for children with ASN, and communication between staff and parents.
• Eight percent of parents reported being dissatisfied with the quality of their main funded ELC provider. Reasons for this included: poor quality outdoor facilities; crowded indoor spaces; limited staff capacity and facilities to meet children’s ASN; poor and infrequent staff communication; unhealthy and small meal portion sizes; and minimal staff supervision during mealtimes.

Impact of funded ELC

The positive impacts of funded ELC on parents and their children were:

• Increased opportunities for children to socialise with peers, learn social skills, develop communication abilities and support children's learning in ways that parents could not always replicate at home. The structured environment of ELC helped prepare children for the transition to school. However, longer ELC hours were sometimes viewed as excessive for younger children or those with ASN, leading to fatigue and behavioural issues.
• Increased work opportunities for parents. Three-quarters of parents agreed or strongly agreed that they were able to work or look for work (75%) or consider future opportunities (74%) while 40% agreed or agreed strongly they were able to increase the number of hours they worked and 36% were able to study or improve work-related skills. Longer ELC hours enabled some parents to move from part- to full-time work and improve their finances. For others, the cost of combining funded hours with additional paid-for childcare negated these benefits.
• A positive impact on parents' wellbeing. About half of the survey respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they felt happier (48%), less stressed (45%), and had more time for self-care (45%). Parents also valued the additional time for practical tasks, bonding with their other children, and personal relaxation.

Conclusions

Overall, parents who participated in this research were largely positive about funded ELC and they and their children are experiencing a range of positive impacts as a result of funded ELC. However, a number of challenges remain regarding affordability, accessibility, flexibility and quality of funded ELC. The findings underscore the need for continued support and flexibility in funded ELC provision, as well as on-going monitoring and evaluation, in order to make improvements to maximise the benefits of funded ELC for all families in Scotland.

Methodology

The research consisted of two phases. The first was an online survey with an achieved sample of 7,589 parents and carers who had children yet to start school. Survey respondents were self-selecting, therefore the survey is not representative of parents and carers of children under the age of six in Scotland. The second was in-depth interviews with 33 parents and carers who completed the survey. The experiences of parents with children with additional support needs (ASN) and those who were dissatisfied with the flexibility of ELC were of particular interest for this phase. The survey was live from 23 April to 29 May 2025. The interviews took place from 7 May to 30 June 2025.