Parents and guardians across Northern Ireland are being
encouraged to have their say on the future of childcare.
In May, the Education Minister, announced a £25million package
of measures to support children, parents and providers with early
learning and childcare in 2024/25.
A new Northern Ireland Childcare Survey has now been launched to
give parents and guardians the opportunity to provide feedback
about their experience of childcare here.
The Department has commissioned the Northern Ireland Statistics
and Research Agency to carry out the survey, the first of its
kind 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.”
