Scottish household survey 2018: key findings

Childcare

Types of Childcare

Overall, 80 per cent of households with a two- to five-year-old used some form of childcare in 2018.

Types of childcare used

All the data presented is from households with children aged two- to five-years-old (who have not yet started school).

Numbers may not add to 100 per cent since multiple responses were allowed.

Uses and reasons

63 per cent of households with two- to five-year-olds reported that they use childcare so that parents/carers can work. This increased as area deprivation decreased.

45 per cent of households who used some type of childcare used between 11 and 20 hours of childcare per week during term-time.

40 per cent of households did not use childcare during school holidays.

All the data presented is from households with children aged two- to five-years-old who have not yet started school.

Funded childcare and costs

53 per cent of households used funded childcare during term-time.

86 per cent of households were either very or fairly satisfied with the overall quality of funded childcare.

20 per cent of households reported that there were not enough funded hours to meet their needs. This increased as area deprivation decreased.

52 per cent who used some type of childcare either did not pay for childcare during school term-time or all childcare used was funded by the local authority or Scottish Government. This proportion of households decreased as area deprivation decreased.

All the data presented is from households with children aged two- to five-years-old who have not yet started school. 

All three- and four-year-olds and some two-year-olds are entitled to Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) which is funded by the Scottish Government. Some children also receive ELC which is funded at the local authority’s discretion.

Costs and affordability

Only two in five (43 per cent) small families stated that they did not spend money on childcare. They were more likely to spend money on childcare compared to single parents and large families.

The majority of households (72 per cent) with children aged two- to five-years-old said that they did not find it difficult to afford childcare.

All the data presented is from households with children aged two- to five-years-old who have not yet started school. The affordability information is based on households who are paying for some type of childcare. A small family is up to two children and a large family is three or more children in the household.