Parents And Guardians Urged To Share Childcare Experiences

Parents and guardians across Northern Ireland are being encouraged to participate in a new survey to share their experiences of childcare.

The survey, commissioned by the Department of Education, aims to gather valuable insights to inform future childcare policies. This initiative follows the announcement of a £25 million package of measures to support early learning and childcare in 2024/25.

The Department hopes that the survey will provide a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing families and childcare providers in Northern Ireland.

Encouraging parents and guardians to take part, the Education Minister said: "Almost 20,000 households across Northern Ireland have been invited to take part in this survey. "This is an opportunity for parents and guardians to tell us directly about their experience of childcare in Northern Ireland. We want to hear your views on the cost and quality of childcare as well as whether it has influenced decisions that you have had to make regarding work, education or training.

"I would encourage all those who have been invited to take part, to complete the survey over the coming weeks, as the information provided will help to shape the Executive's new Early Learning and Childcare Strategy which will be published in 2025."

The survey opened on 4 November and closes on 13 December and it only takes around 15 minutes to complete.

NISRA's Chief Executive, Philip Wales, added: "You can play a vital role in helping the Department of Education to understand the issues that parents and guardians face with childcare by completing the survey if you receive an invitation to take part.

"Thousands of people have already replied to tell us about their experiences, but we want to hear from as many respondents as possible to give us a really good understanding of current childcare arrangements in Northern Ireland."