Statistics in this publication are based on population estimates which have not been updated following Census 2022. See LFS Background Notes.
| % of children aged 0-12 | ||
| Types of Childcare Used | 2007 | 2016 |
| Parent / Partner | 75 | 70 |
| Unpaid relative or family friend | 9 | 16 |
| Paid relative or family friend | 3 | 3 |
| Childminder / Au Pair / Nanny | 9 | 10 |
| Creche / Montessori / Playgroup / After-school facility | 9 | 13 |
| Other | 1 | 1 |
| Total children using non-parental childcare | 30 | 38 |
There has been a fall in the number of children using parental childcare between the years 2007 and 2016. The decrease is larger among primary school children (from 81% to 74%) than among pre-school children (from 64% to 62%). See Table 1 and Figure 1.
Some 88% of pre-school children use a single type of childcare, with 12% using more than one. In 2007, the corresponding figures were 93% and 7% respectively. A single type of childcare is used by 91% of primary school children, while more than one is used by 9% of primary school children. The corresponding figures for 2007 were 98% (one type of childcare) and 2% (more than one type of childcare). See table 2.
The percentage of pre-school children that are minded by their parent is 62%. The corresponding figure for primary school children is 74%. The most commonly used non-parental childcare type for pre-school children is a crèche/Montessori/playgroup/after-school facility. This type of care is used by 19% of pre-school children, with the highest rate of use in Dublin (25%). The most commonly used type of non-parental childcare for primary school children nationally is an unpaid relative or family friend (16%). The highest rate is in the Border region (21%). See table 3.
| Pre-school children | Primary school children | All children aged 0-12 | |
| Non-Parental childcare total | 27 | 14 | 20 |
| Unpaid relative or family friend | 21 | 13 | 16 |
| Paid relative or family friend | 24 | 14 | 17 |
| Childminder / Au Pair / Nanny | 27 | 16 | 21 |
| Creche/Montessori/Playgroup/After-school facility | 25 | 12 | 20 |
| Other type of childcare | 19 | 19 | 19 |
Pre-school children spend almost twice the number of hours per week in non-parental childcare (27 hours per week) than primary school children do. A primary school child spends 14 hours per week in non-parental childcare on average. The most used type of non-parental childcare for both pre-school and primary school children is a child-minder/Au pair/nanny (27 hours and 16 hours respectively). See Table 4 and Figure 2.
Some 49% of pre-school children living in a household where both parents are present use non-parental childcare. In lone parent households, 37% of pre-school children use non-parental childcare. In areas defined as very disadvantaged, 34% of pre-school children use non-parental childcare, compared with 48% in areas defined as very affluent. The educational attainment of the pre-school child’s mother has an influence on the usage of non-parental childcare. Some 25% of pre-school children use non-parental childcare where the mother’s educational attainment is lower secondary, compared with 59% where the mother’s educational attainment is third level. See Table 5.
The average amount spent per hour on paid non-parental childcare for pre-school children is €4.20, while this figure is higher for primary school children, at €5.30 per hour. The region with the highest cost per hour for pre-school children is Dublin, at €4.90. It is also the region with the highest costs for child-minder/au pair/nanny (€5.20) and crèche/Montessori/playgroup/after-school facility (€5.70). The Mid-West and South-East are the regions with the lowest hourly cost (€3.50 per hour). See Table 6.
| Pre-school children | Primary school children | All children aged 0-12 | |
| State Total | 118 | 73 | 96 |
| Border | 102 | 61 | 81 |
| Midland | 91 | 62 | 78 |
| West | 111 | 63 | 89 |
| Dublin | 150 | 95 | 125 |
| Mid-East | 115 | 72 | 89 |
| Mid-West | 97 | 59 | 80 |
| South-East | 83 | 48 | 65 |
| South-West | 117 | 75 | 96 |
The average cost per week per child for pre-school children is €118.00, while the average weekly cost per primary school child is €73.00. The average weekly cost for a child aged 0-12 is €96.00. The average weekly cost for one pre-school child is €133.00, €118.00 per child for two pre-school children, and €103.00 per child for three or more pre-school children. The average weekly cost per child is highest in the Dublin, at €150.00 per child per week. It is lowest in the South-East at €83.00 per child per week. See Table 7 and Figure 3.
For primary school children, the average weekly cost of paid non-parental childcare is also highest in Dublin at €95.00 per child per week. The figure is again lowest in the South-East region (€48.00 per child per week).
The average hourly cost, the average hours per week, and the average cost per week on paid childcare are all highest in the areas defined as very affluent (€5.60, 23 hours, and €123 respectively). This is the case for pre-school children (€5.00, 30 hours, and €153) and primary school going children (€6.20, 16 hours, and €91). See Table 7.
The average household weekly expenditure on paid non-parental childcare is €155.60. This is an increase from 2007, when the corresponding figure was €123.20. It should be noted that the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) scheme was introduced in January 2010. See Background Notes for further details on the Early Childhood Care and Education scheme.
| Level of Affluence | |
| Very Disadvantaged | 48 |
| Disadvantaged | 51.44 |
| Average | 52.62 |
| Affluent | 53.03 |
| Very Affluent | 56.47 |
Of children aged between 3 and 6, 52% availed of the ECCE scheme in the previous twelve months. It is highest in the South-East (61%) and lowest in the Midlands (44%). In very disadvantaged areas 48% availed of the scheme, compared with 56% of those in very affluent areas. See Table 8 and Figure 4.
Of those children that did not avail of the ECCE scheme in the previous twelve months, 12% of the children’s parents did not wish to send the child to childcare, while 2% advised that there was no registered facility in their area and 1% were not aware of the scheme. See Table 9.
| Pre-school children | Primary school children | |
| Parent/guardian | 14 | 8 |
| Unpaid relative or family friend | 5 | 2 |
| Paid relative or family friend | 3 | 1 |
| Paid childminder/ au pair/nanny | 18 | 14 |
| Creche/Montessori/Playgroup/ After-school facility | 44 | 59 |
| Other | 6 | 8 |
| Not stated | 12 | 8 |
Households were asked what type of alternative childcare they would like to use for their children that they are currently not using. Crèche/Montessori/playgroup/after-school facility was the most desired alternative childcare type in households for pre-school children (44%) and for primary school children (59%). Some 18% of households would like to use a paid child-minder/au pair/nanny for their pre-school children, while the corresponding figure for primary school children is 14%. A paid relative or family friend was the least desired type of alternative childcare for pre-school children (3% of households) and primary school children (1%). See Table 10 and Figure 5.
| Distribution of journeys by, purpose 2014 | Level of affluence |
|---|---|
| Strongly agree/ agree | 52 |
| Neither agree nor disagree | 25 |
| Strongly disagree/ disagree | 20 |
| Not stated | 3 |
| Distribution of journeys by, purpose 2014 | Level of affluence |
|---|---|
| Strongly agree/ agree | 28 |
| Neither agree nor disagree | 26 |
| Strongly disagree/ disagree | 43 |
| Not stated | 4 |
When presented with the statement “I have access to high quality childcare in my community”, 52% of households strongly agree or agree. Agreement with this statement is highest in the West (57%) and lowest in the Mid-East (42%). In very disadvantaged areas, 46% of households strongly agreed or agreed with the statement compared to 57% of households that strongly agree or agree in very affluent areas. See Table 11 and Figure 6.
When presented with the statement “I have access to affordable childcare in my community”, 28% of households strongly agreed or agreed. The Midlands has the highest level of agreement (41%) and the Mid-East has the lowest level (19%). See Table 12 and Figure 7.
| Table 1: Type of childcare used by children, by school-going status, Quarter 3 2016 | ||||||
| % of children1 | ||||||
| Pre-school children | Primary school children | All children aged 0-12 | ||||
| 2007 | 2016 | 2007 | 2016 | 2007 | 2016 | |
| Type of childcare | ||||||
| Parent / Partner | 64 | 62 | 81 | 74 | 75 | 70 |
| Unpaid relative or family friend | 9 | 17 | 9 | 16 | 9 | 16 |
| Paid relative or family friend | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Childminder / Au Pair / Nanny | 12 | 13 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| Creche / Montessori / Playgroup / After-school facility | 19 | 19 | 3 | 8 | 9 | 13 |
| Other | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Total children using non-parental childcare | 42 | 47 | 22 | 33 | 30 | 38 |
| Unweighted sample (number of children) | 2,072 | 3,850 | 5,922 | |||
| 1Percentages add to more than 100% because some children use more than one type of childcare. | ||||||
| Table 2: Number of types of non-parental childcare used by school-going status, Quarter 3 2016 | ||||
| % of children | ||||
| Pre-school children | Primary school children | |||
| 2007 | 2016 | 2007 | 2016 | |
| Number of types of childcare used | ||||
| One type of childcare | 93 | 88 | 98 | 91 |
| More than one type of childcare1 | 7 | 12 | 2 | 9 |
| Unweighted sample | 2,072 | 3,850 | ||
| 1Includes a very small proportion of children using three or more types of childcare | ||||
Show Table 3: Types of childcare used by children, by school-going status and region, Quarter 3 2016
| Table 3: Types of childcare used by children by school-going status and region, Quarter 3 2016 | |||||||||||
| % of children1 | |||||||||||
| Pre-school children | |||||||||||
| Border | Midland | West | Dublin | Mid-East | Mid-West | South-East | South-West | State | |||
| Type of childcare | |||||||||||
| Parent / Partner | 65 | 56 | 59 | 62 | 65 | 51 | 67 | 65 | 62 | ||
| Unpaid relative or family friend | 16 | 13 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 20 | 22 | 17 | ||
| Paid relative or family friend | 2 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 3 | ||
| Childminder / Au Pair / Nanny | 13 | 18 | 21 | 8 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | ||
| Creche / Montessori / Playgroup / After-school facility | 15 | 14 | 15 | 25 | 14 | 28 | 17 | 16 | 19 | ||
| Other | 1 | <1 | <1 | 1 | <1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Total pre-school children using non-parental childcare | 45 | 47 | 49 | 46 | 45 | 53 | 45 | 45 | 46 | ||
| Unweighted sample | 198 | 136 | 234 | 525 | 244 | 189 | 230 | 316 | 2,072 | ||
| Primary school children | |||||||||||
| Border | Midland | West | Dublin | Mid-East | Mid-West | South-East | South-West | State | |||
| Type of childcare | |||||||||||
| Parent / Partner | 72 | 74 | 79 | 71 | 75 | 74 | 77 | 76 | 74 | ||
| Unpaid relative or family friend | 21 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 17 | 19 | 16 | ||
| Paid relative or family friend | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | ||
| Childminder / Au Pair / Nanny | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 8 | ||
| Creche / Montessori / Playgroup / After-school facility | 8 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 8 | ||
| Other | 1 | <1 | 1 | <1 | <1 | 1 | 1 | <1 | <1 | ||
| Total primary school children using non-parental childcare | 37 | 33 | 32 | 35 | 29 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 33 | ||
| Unweighted sample | 413 | 249 | 450 | 896 | 515 | 341 | 437 | 549 | 3,850 | ||
| All children aged 0-12 | |||||||||||
| Border | Midland | West | Dublin | Mid-East | Mid-West | South-East | South-West | State | |||
| Type of childcare | |||||||||||
| Parent / Partner | 69 | 68 | 72 | 67 | 72 | 66 | 73 | 72 | 70 | ||
| Unpaid relative or family friend | 19 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 18 | 20 | 16 | ||
| Paid relative or family friend | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 3 | ||
| Childminder / Au Pair / Nanny | 10 | 11 | 13 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 10 | ||
| Creche / Montessori / Playgroup / After-school facility | 10 | 10 | 11 | 17 | 9 | 16 | 11 | 10 | 13 | ||
| Other | 1 | <1 | 1 | <1 | <1 | 1 | 1 | <1 | 1 | ||
| Total children aged 0-12 using non-parental childcare | 40 | 38 | 38 | 39 | 35 | 39 | 37 | 38 | 38 | ||
| Unweighted sample | 611 | 385 | 684 | 1421 | 759 | 530 | 667 | 865 | 5,922 | ||
| 1Percentages add up to more than 100% because some children used more than one type of childcare | |||||||||||
| Table 4: Average number of hours per week spent in non-parental childcare, by school-going status, Quarter 3 2016 | |||
| Hours | |||
| Pre-school children | Primary school children | All children aged 0-12 | |
| Average number of hours per week spent in non-parental childcare | 27 | 14 | 20 |
| Type of childcare | |||
| Unpaid relative or family friend | 21 | 13 | 16 |
| Paid relative or family friend | 24 | 14 | 17 |
| Childminder / Au Pair / Nanny | 27 | 16 | 21 |
| Creche / Montessori / Playgroup / After-school facility | 25 | 12 | 20 |
| Other type of childcare | 19 | 19 | 19 |
| Unweighted sample | 1,061 | 1,341 | 2,402 |
| Table 5: Use of non-parental childcare by school-going status, family type, educational attainment of mother, and level of affluence, Quarter 3 2016 | ||||||||||||
| % of children1 | ||||||||||||
| Pre-school children | Primary school children | All children aged 0-12 | ||||||||||
| Use non-parental childcare | Do not use non-parental childcare | Unweighted sample | Use non-parental childcare | Do not use non-parental childcare | Unweighted sample | Use non-parental childcare | Do not use non-parental childcare | Unweighted sample | ||||
| State | ||||||||||||
| State Total | 47 | 53 | 2,020 | 33 | 67 | 3,767 | 38 | 62 | 5,787 | |||
| Family Type | ||||||||||||
| Couple - All | 49 | 51 | 1,734 | 33 | 67 | 3,120 | 39 | 61 | 4,854 | |||
| Couple - Both working full-time | 70 | 30 | 799 | 68 | 32 | 1,002 | 69 | 31 | 1,801 | |||
| Couple - Both work, one full-time, one part-time | 61 | 39 | 328 | 35 | 65 | 760 | 44 | 56 | 1,088 | |||
| Couple - One full-time, one unemployed | [35] | [65] | 43 | 24 | 76 | 96 | 28 | 72 | 139 | |||
| Other couple type | 13 | 87 | 564 | 4 | 96 | 1,262 | 7 | 93 | 1,826 | |||
| Lone parent - All | 37 | 63 | 286 | 35 | 65 | 647 | 36 | 64 | 933 | |||
| Lone parent - working full-time | 66 | 34 | 53 | 72 | 28 | 147 | 70 | 30 | 200 | |||
| Lone parent - working part-time | 66 | 34 | 73 | 49 | 51 | 181 | 54 | 46 | 254 | |||
| Lone parent - unemployed | * | * | 15 | [9] | [91] | 45 | 12 | 88 | 60 | |||
| Lone parent - economically inactive | 13 | 87 | 140 | 9 | 91 | 267 | 11 | 89 | 407 | |||
| Other | * | * | 5 | * | * | 7 | * | * | 12 | |||
| Educational attainment of mother | ||||||||||||
| Primary or below | * | * | 29 | 6 | 94 | 140 | 7 | 93 | 169 | |||
| Lower secondary | 25 | 75 | 96 | 14 | 86 | 301 | 17 | 83 | 397 | |||
| Higher secondary | 37 | 63 | 399 | 24 | 76 | 820 | 28 | 72 | 1,219 | |||
| Post leaving cert | 42 | 58 | 599 | 32 | 68 | 1,236 | 36 | 64 | 1,835 | |||
| Third level | 59 | 41 | 881 | 48 | 52 | 1,219 | 53 | 47 | 2,100 | |||
| Not stated | * | * | 16 | 25 | 75 | 51 | 37 | 63 | 67 | |||
| Level of affluence / disadvantage | ||||||||||||
| Very Disadvantaged | 34 | 66 | 395 | 23 | 77 | 769 | 27 | 73 | 1,164 | |||
| Disadvantaged | 53 | 47 | 388 | 32 | 68 | 748 | 40 | 60 | 1,136 | |||
| Average | 49 | 51 | 384 | 41 | 59 | 718 | 44 | 56 | 1,102 | |||
| Affluent | 51 | 49 | 412 | 36 | 64 | 793 | 42 | 58 | 1,205 | |||
| Very Affluent | 48 | 52 | 441 | 33 | 67 | 739 | 39 | 61 | 1,180 | |||
| 1Figures in parentheses [ ] indicate percentages based on small numbers, and are, therefore, subject to a wide margin of error. | ||||||||||||
| Figures marked * are not released due to small cell sizes. | ||||||||||||
| Table 6: Average hourly expenditure per child on paid non-parental childcare by school-going status, childcare type, region, and level of affluence, Quarter 3 2016 | |||||||||
| Hourly expenditure in €1 | |||||||||
| Pre-school children | Primary school children | ||||||||
| Paid Relative | Childminder/ Au Pair/Nanny | Creche/Montessori/ Playgroup/ After-school facility/ Other | Total | Paid Relative | Childminder/ Au Pair/Nanny | Creche/Montessori/ Playgroup/ After-school facility/ Other | Total | ||
| State | |||||||||
| State Total | [3.60] | 4.50 | 4.70 | 4.20 | 4.50 | 5.70 | 5.90 | 5.30 | |
| Unweighted sample | 48 | 234 | 306 | 571 | 102 | 269 | 275 | 629 | |
| Region | |||||||||
| Border | [1.80] | 3.40 | 5.20 | 3.80 | 4.10 | 5.60 | 5.30 | 4.70 | |
| Midland | [3.20] | 3.90 | 3.50 | 3.70 | 4.10 | 5.30 | 4.10 | 4.60 | |
| West | [3.10] | 4.20 | 3.80 | 3.80 | 3.60 | 6.80 | 5.30 | 5.20 | |
| Dublin | [3.90] | 5.20 | 5.60 | 4.90 | 5.40 | 7.20 | 7.00 | 6.40 | |
| Mid-East | [3.80] | 4.10 | 4.60 | 4.60 | 5.20 | 4.60 | 5.40 | 4.90 | |
| Mid-West | [4.40] | 4.20 | 3.50 | 3.50 | 4.40 | 5.20 | 4.50 | 4.80 | |
| South-East | [4.90] | 5.00 | 2.90 | 3.50 | 2.90 | 4.80 | 4.90 | 4.20 | |
| South-West | [3.80] | 4.70 | 4.90 | 4.30 | 4.60 | 4.40 | 7.10 | 5.20 | |
| Unweighted sample | 48 | 234 | 306 | 571 | 102 | 269 | 275 | 629 | |
| Level of affluence | |||||||||
| Very Disadvantaged | [3.40] | 4.60 | 3.30 | 3.50 | 3.80 | 5.60 | 4.00 | 3.90 | |
| Disadvantaged | [3.70] | 4.20 | 4.10 | 3.80 | 4.70 | 5.20 | 5.10 | 4.80 | |
| Average | [3.70] | 4.40 | 4.50 | 4.00 | 4.60 | 5.60 | 4.60 | 4.80 | |
| Affluent | [3.60] | 4.30 | 4.70 | 4.30 | 5.00 | 5.80 | 6.40 | 5.80 | |
| Very Affluent | [3.50] | 5.10 | 6.00 | 5.00 | 4.80 | 6.20 | 7.30 | 6.20 | |
| Unweighted sample | 48 | 234 | 306 | 571 | 102 | 269 | 275 | 629 | |
| 1Figures in parentheses [ ] indicate percentages based on small numbers, and are, therefore, subject to a wide margin of error. | |||||||||
| Table 7: Average hourly cost, average weekly hours, and average weekly cost of childcare, by number of children, region, and level of affluence, Quarter 3 2016 | |||||||||||
| € | Hours | € | € | Hours | € | € | Hours | € | |||
| Pre-school children | Primary school children | All children aged 0-12 | |||||||||
| Average hourly cost | Average hours per week | Average cost per week | Average hourly cost | Average hours per week | Average cost per week | Average hourly cost | Average hours per week | Average cost per week | |||
| State | |||||||||||
| State Total | 4.20 | 27 | 118 | 5.30 | 14 | 73 | 4.70 | 20 | 96 | ||
| Number of children | |||||||||||
| One | 4.60 | 27 | 133 | 5.30 | 16 | 76 | 4.80 | 22 | 114 | ||
| Two | 4.20 | 27 | 118 | 5.80 | 15 | 83 | 4.90 | 21 | 101 | ||
| Three or more | 3.90 | 25 | 103 | 4.70 | 13 | 59 | 4.40 | 18 | 77 | ||
| Region | |||||||||||
| Border | 3.80 | 26 | 102 | 4.70 | 15 | 61 | 4.30 | 20 | 81 | ||
| Midland | 3.70 | 25 | 91 | 4.60 | 14 | 62 | 4.10 | 19 | 78 | ||
| West | 3.80 | 30 | 111 | 5.20 | 12 | 63 | 4.40 | 21 | 89 | ||
| Dublin | 4.90 | 28 | 150 | 6.40 | 15 | 95 | 5.60 | 21 | 125 | ||
| Mid-East | 4.60 | 25 | 115 | 4.90 | 16 | 72 | 4.70 | 20 | 89 | ||
| Mid-West | 3.50 | 27 | 97 | 4.80 | 14 | 59 | 4.10 | 21 | 80 | ||
| South-East | 3.50 | 23 | 83 | 4.20 | 13 | 48 | 3.90 | 18 | 65 | ||
| South-West | 4.30 | 25 | 117 | 5.20 | 15 | 75 | 4.80 | 20 | 96 | ||
| Level of affluence | |||||||||||
| Very Disadvantaged | 3.50 | 23 | 86 | 3.90 | 14 | 53 | 3.60 | 18 | 72 | ||
| Disadvantaged | 3.80 | 26 | 105 | 4.80 | 14 | 64 | 4.30 | 20 | 85 | ||
| Average | 4.00 | 25 | 101 | 4.80 | 14 | 59 | 4.40 | 19 | 79 | ||
| Affluent | 4.30 | 27 | 124 | 5.70 | 15 | 81 | 5.00 | 20 | 102 | ||
| Very Affluent | 5.00 | 30 | 153 | 6.20 | 16 | 91 | 5.60 | 23 | 123 | ||
| Unweighted sample | 571 | 964 | 574 | 629 | 1262 | 630 | 1200 | 2226 | 1204 | ||
| Average weekly expenditure on paid childcare 2016 | 155.60 | ||||||||||
| Average weekly expenditure on paid childcare 2007 | 123.20 | ||||||||||
| Table 8: Percentage of children that have availed of the ECCE1 scheme, by region and level of affluence, Quarter 3 2016 | |||
| % of children2 | |||
| Availed | Did not avail | ||
| State Total | |||
| Total | 52 | 47 | |
| Region | |||
| Border | 53 | 47 | |
| Midland | 44 | 55 | |
| West | 49 | 49 | |
| Dublin | 54 | 46 | |
| Mid-East | 51 | 49 | |
| Mid-West | 50 | 49 | |
| South-East | 61 | 39 | |
| South-West | 51 | 48 | |
| Level of disadvantage / affluence | |||
| Very Disadvantaged | 48 | 52 | |
| Disadvantaged | 51 | 48 | |
| Average | 53 | 47 | |
| Affluent | 53 | 47 | |
| Very Affluent | 56 | 43 | |
| Unweighted sample | 1,008 | 923 | |
| 1Please see background notes for further details on the ECCE scheme | |||
| 2Percentages may not add to 100% due to a small number of respondents (<0.5%) not stating whether they availed of the ECCE scheme or not. | |||
| Table 9: Reasons for not availing of the ECCE1 scheme, Quarter 3 2016 | |||||||
| % of households | |||||||
| Availed of scheme in previous years | No registered facility in our area | Did not wish to send them to child care | Was not aware of free year of pre-school scheme | Child does not qualify | Other | Unweighted sample | |
| State | |||||||
| Total | 39 | 2 | 12 | 1 | 31 | 16 | 917 |
| 1Please see backgroundnotes for further details on the ECCE scheme | |||||||
| Table 10: Types of alternative childcare desired by households for their children, by school-going status, Quarter 3 2016 | ||
| % of households | ||
| Pre-school children | Primary school children | |
| Type of childcare desired | ||
| Parent/guardian | 14 | 8 |
| Unpaid relative or family friend | 5 | 2 |
| Paid relative or family friend | 3 | 1 |
| Paid childminder / au pair / nanny | 18 | 14 |
| Creche / Montessori / Playgroup / After-school facility | 44 | 59 |
| Other | 6 | 8 |
| Not stated | 12 | 8 |
| Unweighted sample | 302 | 385 |
| Table 11: Agreement with the statement "I have access to high quality childcare in my community", by region and level of affluence, Quarter 3 2016 | |||||
| % of households | |||||
| Strongly agree / agree | Neither agree nor disagree | Disagree / strongly disagree | Not stated | Unweighted sample | |
| State Total | |||||
| Total | 52 | 25 | 20 | 3 | 3,170 |
| Region | |||||
| Border | 55 | 23 | 18 | 3 | 316 |
| Midland | 53 | 25 | 22 | <1 | 209 |
| West | 57 | 22 | 17 | 3 | 359 |
| Dublin | 52 | 25 | 19 | 3 | 778 |
| Mid-East | 42 | 31 | 24 | 3 | 408 |
| Mid-West | 55 | 19 | 20 | 6 | 292 |
| South-East | 52 | 27 | 17 | 3 | 366 |
| South-West | 54 | 21 | 20 | 5 | 442 |
| Level of affluence | |||||
| Very Disadvantaged | 46 | 29 | 23 | 2 | 635 |
| Disadvantaged | 53 | 23 | 22 | 2 | 609 |
| Average | 52 | 22 | 22 | 4 | 590 |
| Affluent | 54 | 23 | 18 | 4 | 681 |
| Very Affluent | 57 | 26 | 14 | 4 | 655 |
| Table 12: Agreement with the statement "I have access to affordable childcare in my community", by region and level of affluence, Quarter 3 2016 | |||||
| % of households | |||||
| Strongly agree / agree | Neither agree nor disagree | Disagree / strongly disagree | Not stated | Unweighted sample | |
| State Total | |||||
| Total | 28 | 26 | 43 | 4 | 3,170 |
| Region | |||||
| Border | 24 | 29 | 45 | 3 | 316 |
| Midland | 41 | 28 | 31 | <1 | 209 |
| West | 34 | 24 | 37 | 4 | 359 |
| Dublin | 20 | 25 | 52 | 3 | 778 |
| Mid-East | 19 | 26 | 50 | 4 | 408 |
| Mid-West | 36 | 17 | 40 | 7 | 292 |
| South-East | 38 | 30 | 29 | 3 | 366 |
| South-West | 28 | 25 | 43 | 4 | 442 |
| Level of affluence | |||||
| Very Disadvantaged | 26 | 26 | 45 | 3 | 635 |
| Disadvantaged | 34 | 26 | 37 | 3 | 609 |
| Average | 30 | 22 | 44 | 4 | 590 |
| Affluent | 26 | 26 | 43 | 4 | 681 |
| Very Affluent | 22 | 27 | 47 | 4 | 655 |
A module on the topic of childcare was included in the Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS) in the third quarter of 2016 (July – September). The module covered topics including childcare usage and childcare costs.
The questions on childcare were included in the Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS) in the three months from July to September 2016. The data was collected by Computer-Assisted Personal Interviews (CAPI), a face-to face form of interviewing.
While the primary purpose of the QNHS is to collect information on employment and unemployment, it is also used to data through modules on social topics of interest.
‘Childcare’ refers to types of childcare arrangements usually made by parents/guardians on a regular weekly basis during the working day.
‘Pre-school’ refers to children aged up to five years who are not attending primary school.
‘Primary school’ refers to children aged between 4 and 12 who are attending primary school.
‘Early Childhood Care and Education Scheme’ refers to a scheme introduced by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs which provides children aged between 3 years and 5 and a half years with one year of childcare, covering three hours per day, five days per week. Please see the following website for further details https://www.dcya.gov.ie/viewdoc.asp?DocID=1143
In 2016, the childcare types listed in the questionnaire were:
Minded at home by me/my partner
Unpaid relative or family friend
Paid relative or family friend
Paid child-minder
Paid au pair
Paid nanny
Work-based crèche
Non work-based Crèche
Montessori
Playgroup
After-school facility
Special needs facility
13. Other
In 2007, the childcare types listed in the questionnaire were:
Child minded at home by me/my partner
Unpaid relative or family friend
Paid relative or family friend
Paid child-minder/au pair/nanny
Crèche/Montessori/playgroup/after-school facility
Special needs facility
Other
The QNHS grossing procedure aligns the distribution of persons covered in the survey with the independently determined population estimates at the level of sex, five-year age group and region from the Census of Population.
The classification is derived from a single question and refers to educational standards that have been attained and can be compared in some measurable way. Questions on educational attainment are included in the core QNHS on an ongoing basis.
The regional classifications in this release are based on the NUTS (Nomenclature of Territorial Units) classification used by Eurostat. The NUTS3 regions correspond to the eight Regional Authorities established under the Local Government Act, 1991 (Regional Authorities) (Establishment) Order, 1993, which came into operation on 1 January 1994. The NUTS2 regions, which were proposed by Government and agreed by Eurostat in 1999, are groupings of the NUTS3 regions. The composition of the regions is set out below.
| Border, Midland and Western NUTS2 Region | Southern and Eastern NUTS2 Region | ||
| Border | Cavan | Dublin | Dublin City |
| Donegal | Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown | ||
| Leitrim | Fingal | ||
| Louth | South Dublin | ||
| Monaghan | |||
| Sligo | Mid-East | Kildare | |
| Meath | |||
| Midland | Laois | Wicklow | |
| Longford | Mid-West | Clare | |
| Offaly | Limerick City | ||
| Westmeath | Limerick County | ||
| North Tipperary | |||
| West | Galway City | ||
| Galway County | South-East | Carlow | |
| Mayo | Kilkenny | ||
| Roscommon | South Tipperary | ||
| Waterford City | |||
| Waterford County | |||
| Wexford | |||
| South-West | Cork City | ||
| Cork County | |||
| Kerry | |||
The Pobal Haase-Pratschke Deprivation Index is used to analyse Irish Health Survey questionnaire responses experienced by individuals. The Index uses Census data to measure levels of disadvantage or affluence in a particular geographical area. More detailed information on the index can be found here: https://www.pobal.ie/Pages/New-Measures.aspx
The results are presented by quintiles, five equal-sized groups of households, with the first quintile representing the least deprived/most affluent area and the fifth quintile representing the most disadvantaged areas.
The Central Statistics Office wishes to thank the participating households for their co-operation in agreeing to take part in the survey, and for facilitating the collection of the relevant data.
QNHS Households and Family Units Q2 2016
QNHS – Union Membership Q2 2005-2016
QNHS Module on Pensions Q4 2015
QNHS Crime and Victimisation Q3 2015
QNHS Households and Family Units Q2 2015
QNHS Equality Module Q3 2014
QNHS Environment Module Q2 2014
Hide Background Notes
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http://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/er/q-chi/qnhschildcarequarter32016/
Hide Table 1: Type of childcare used by children, by school-going status, Quarter 3 2016