Childcare and Early Years: Parents' Survey 2009

Up-to-date and accurate information on families’ childcare arrangements

Sep 2010 |

About this study

Until about ten years ago, childcare was often expensive, of variable quality and inaccessible to most parents. This started to change when the Government introduced the National Childcare Strategy and committed to ensuring good quality, affordable childcare for children in every neighbourhood.

The Childcare and Early Years Survey of Parents is part of a series of surveys that provides up-to-date and accurate information on families' childcare arrangements, their views of the childcare providers they use, and their thoughts about childcare in their local area. The first survey was conducted in 1999.

This, the fourth survey was conducted in 2009, and reported in late 2010. You can read the 2009 report here, or a summary of findings from this and our other childcare surveys here.

Potential policy impact

The Childcare and Early Years Survey of Parents is an important way to monitor the progress of policies in the areas of childcare and early years education, and in particular, of the 10-Year Childcare Strategy.

Methodology

As part of this survey, face-to-face interviews are carried out with over 7,000 parents of children aged 14 and under. Parents are randomly selected to take part from Child Benefit records to make sure that they are representative of all parents in England.

Timeline

2007-09 surveys commissioned - September 2006
2009 fieldwork start - June 2009
2009 fieldwork end - December 2009
2009 report published - September 2010