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The number of parents finding it difficult to afford and access early years provision has risen over recent years, with those from the most deprived areas and families of children with SEND facing particularly significant challenges, a new Department for Education (DfE) survey has found. 

According to the latest , 39% of families of children aged 0-4 said that the availability of early years places was ‘not enough’ in 2024, compared to 28% in 2019. Similarly, 31% describing meeting early years costs as ‘difficult’ or ‘very difficult’ in 2024, up from 24% in 2021. 

The survey also found that 26% of parents whose children are not using formal early years provision are currently on a waiting list for a provider, while 23% of families reported problems with finding childcare flexible enough to meet their needs.  

In addition, the findings revealed that only 56% of children from the most deprived areas were accessing formal early years provision in 2024, compared to 75% of those from the least deprived areas. Parents of children with special education needs or disabilities (SEND) also highlighted the challenges they face finding suitable care and education, with 48% of those using formal provision finding it ‘difficult’ or ‘very difficult' to find a local provider who could cater for their child’s needs. 

Commenting, Neil Leitch, CEO of the Early Years Alliance, said: “While we welcome and continue to feel optimistic about the transformative potential of the government’s new ‘Best Start in Life’ strategy, as this survey shows, there is still a long way to go towards breaking down the barriers to opportunity for all children regardless of their background. 

“With only just over half of children from the most deprived areas accessing formal early years provision in 2024 – compared to nearly three-quarters of those from the least deprived areas – it’s clear that much more must be done to ensure that early education is universally accessible to avoid embedding further inequality into society. 

“What’s more, it’s incredibly disheartening to read that the number of parents of children with SEND who found it difficult to find a suitable local early years provider rose from less than a third in 2023 to nearly half in 2024. Clearly, children with SEND and their families must be at the heart of any efforts to improve accessibility. 

“The reality is that while the government’s commitment to the early years in the long term is incredibly welcome, the sector is facing a crisis now. The fact that both the number of parents saying that there aren’t enough early years places and the number finding it difficult to meet costs has increased significantly over recent years speaks volumes about the scale of the challenge the sector is currently facing. 

“It’s clear that the government’s renewed focus on improving the experiences of parents and carers in the early years could not be more necessary. While we look forward to working with ministers to deliver this vision, we continue to urge the government to look at what can be done in the short term to ensure that more families can access affordable and high-quality early years provision they need now.”