Engagement report - parents view of childcare in Lincolnshire

Executive summary

In February 2025 we engaged with parents and carers to ask about how childcare in Lincolnshire meets their needs. Our goal was to understand whether local childcare works well for families with children aged 0 to 11 years.

We gathered the information through a survey which was widely promoted through:

• news outlets
• partners
• social media
• staff
• the public
• councillors (who were also invited to share the information locally)

The key findings from the survey are below. More detailed data can be found in the findings section of this report.

• access to childcare is working well for the majority of families, with 82% reporting their needs are met
• childcare is essential for the majority of respondents in order to remain in the workforce
• while a small number of parents were unable to access the childcare they needed, their feedback has provided valuable insights to help shape future improvements:
  • Day nurseries were especially sought after for younger children, with some parents highlighting cost and limited availability as key challenges
  • For children aged 4 to 11, holiday care emerged as a significant need, with parents noting gaps in availability on specific days and times
• 137 (13%) of the respondents told us they had children with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND)
• 73% of all respondents said they access government support to help pay for childcare
• most parents reported that they learn about available childcare provision primarily through word of mouth or online searches
• when we asked parents about the cost of childcare, opinions were mixed:
  • just over half (54%) said it was expensive
  • 40% felt it was reasonably priced
  • a small number (6%) said it was low cost
• nearly a quarter of families (24%) shared that the expanded childcare entitlement has had a meaningful impact - enabling them to:
  • start work
  • return to employment
  • increase their working hours

Introduction

Why we conducted this survey

Every year, Lincolnshire County Council checks whether there’s enough childcare available for families who need it. This is part of our legal duty under the Childcare Act 2006.

In 2025, we asked parents and carers across Lincolnshire:

• can you find the childcare you need?
• is it available when and where you need it?
• what challenges do you face?

We also asked childcare providers about their services, so we could compare both sides.

How we did it

The survey was open to all parents and carers of children under 11 years old. It was hosted on the Let’s talk Lincolnshire website and included helpful links about:

• childcare costs
• local family services and activities
• support for children with special needs

This year, we focused more closely on different age groups and the specific issues families face at each stage. In particular, the expansion in funded hours for all working families with children from 9 months to school age and out of school childcare for school aged children.

How we promoted it

We promoted the survey widely through:

• social media (for example, Lincolnshire County Council, children’s centres)
• newsletters to schools, nurseries, and community groups
• emails to councillors and staff
• local news and community networks

The results will help us plan better childcare services and update our childcare delivery strategy to meet families’ needs.

Who was involved - stakeholders

To make sure we heard from a wide range of voices, we shared the survey with many different groups, including:

• parents and carers across Lincolnshire
• local councillors
• Lincolnshire County Council staff
• community groups and children’s centres
• ethnic minority and traveller education team
• the general public

We also encouraged these groups to share the survey with others in their networks.

How we collected the information - methodology

We ran the survey for four weeks, from 17 February to 18 March 2025, on the Let’s talk Lincolnshire website.

We also ran a separate survey for childcare providers at the same time, so we could compare what families need with what services are available.

Findings

Introductory questions

• out of the 1,090 submissions, 96% (1,049) of respondents said they want to use or intend to use childcare in Lincolnshire
• we asked respondents to provide their full postcode, so we could map the gaps in childcare
• 85% (896) of respondents said they use or intend to use childcare, to be able to work
• the remaining respondents told us they access childcare to:
  • allow some free time (4)
  • study (8)
  • socialise (112)
  • access their funded entitlement (18)

Gaining insight into why parents choose to access childcare is essential to ensuring that local provision aligns with actual demand.

Access to childcare

The majority of parents were able to access the childcare they needed. The results show:

Under 2s

The 18% (87) of parents who couldn’t access childcare for their under 2s, told us they needed:

• day nursery
• childminder
• preschool or playgroup

The reasons they told us they could not get the childcare they needed were:

• 43% (37) said they cannot afford the cost
• 17% (15) said places are not available at the times or the days they need them
• 16% (14) said there are no places locally

The remainder selected ‘other please specify’, these included comments on:

• transport and distance
• availability of places
• quality of care
• working schedules

2-year-olds

The 14% (55) of parents who couldn’t access childcare for their 2-year-old, told us they needed

• day nursery
• childminder
• preschool or playgroup

The reasons they told us they could not get the childcare they needed were:

• 31% (17) said they cannot afford the cost
• 20% (11) said there are no places locally
• 20% (11) said places are not available at the times or the days they need them

The remainder selected ‘other, please specify’, these included comments on:

• transport and distance
• availability and spaces
• quality of care

3 and 4-year-olds

The 13% (55) of parents who couldn’t access childcare for their 3 and 4-year-old, told us they needed:

• day nursery
• preschool or playgroup
• childminder

The reasons they told us they could not get the childcare they needed were:

• 36% (20) said there are no places locally
• 27% (15) said they cannot afford the cost
• 18% (10) said places are not available at the times or the days they need them

The remainder selected ‘other, please specify’, these comments included themes around:

• lack of childminders
• transport and distance
• funding
• quality of care

4 to 11-year-olds

The 28.5% (169) of parents who couldn’t access childcare for their 3 and 4-year-old, told us they needed:

• holiday club
• afterschool club
• breakfast club

The reasons they told us they could not get the childcare they needed were:

• 32% (54) said places are not available at the times or the days they need them
• 23% (39) said there are no places locally
• 21% (36) said they cannot afford the cost
• 6% (11) selected ‘other please specify’, these respondents commented on:
  • out of school clubs not aligning with work schedules
  • schools not offering further childcare options
  • cost / funding
  • long term commitment to the breakfast and afterschool clubs
  • lack of spaces

Information for parents and carers on childcare provision

Quality of childcare in Lincolnshire

As of March 2025, 97% of early years providers in Lincolnshire were graded good or outstanding by Ofsted.

Sufficiency of childcare in Lincolnshire

Childcare in Lincolnshire is assessed annually to ensure there is sufficient places for the families that need it. The findings from this survey and the provider survey will support us to identify where gaps are present across the county and address them through our childcare delivery plan.

Parents wishing to tell us of a gap in available childcare, can do so by completing a childcare gap form.

Paying for childcare in Lincolnshire

Parents and carers can receive support from the government to help pay for their childcare costs. The Childcare Choices website is designed to support parents to calculate the amount of support they can receive according to their individual circumstances.

Wraparound childcare in Lincolnshire                 

In April 2024, Lincolnshire launched the national wraparound childcare programme. This aims to ensure parents at all schools have access to wrap around provision (breakfast and after school) from 8am until 6pm during the school week. This project continues to work with schools to build on existing provision or develop new.

In addition, in April 2025 the government launched free breakfast clubs in up to 750 early adopter schools across England to help tackle child poverty and improve access to learning. Lincolnshire is proud to have 12 primary schools taking part in this pilot ahead of the national rollout.

The holiday activities and food (HAF) programme is government-funded. It offers free holiday clubs for children from reception to year 11 in Lincolnshire who receive benefits-related free school meals. These clubs run during the summer, winter, and spring holidays. They provide: 

• fun activities
• healthy meals
• enrichment opportunities

For summer 2025, we’re working to expand the number of clubs across the county, within the limits of DfE funding. This will strengthen support for:

• primary
• secondary
• SEND children and young people

Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)

To better understand the experiences of families who have children with additional needs, we asked parents whether they considered their child to have special educational needs or disabilities (SEND).

13% (137 respondents) shared that their child has SEND, providing us with important insights into how accessible childcare is for these families and what barriers may exist.

Under 2s

Of parents with under 2s, 1.25% (6) had children with SEND of which two accessed suitable care.

2-year-olds

3.1% (12) of parents had a 2-year-old with SEND. Most (8) found suitable childcare, with 7 saying it met their child’s needs.

3 and 4-year-olds

5% (21) of parents had a 3 and 4-year-old with SEND. Most (15) accessed suitable care and their full entitlement.

4 to 11-year-olds

16.5% (98) of parents had a 4 to 11 year old with SEND. Half (49) said their childcare met their child’s needs.

Across all age groups, families who were unable to access suitable childcare highlighted key barriers such as limited funding, the need for one-to-one support, and a lack of appropriately equipped settings.

During the survey parents were also given the opportunity to provide comments on the childcare they access:

• 'they listen to me and always get in touch with me if they have any questions'
• 'they provide inclusion funding and have SENCO meetings to provide the right care to support my child'
• 'attended two different nurseries and did not get on, now attending a childminder who better meets her needs'
• 'my daughter's nursery has been extremely accommodating for her health condition and have made adjustments for us as a family'
• 'setting applied for additional funding which was recently approved'
• 'the staff have been amazing with my little one, they have helped him come on loads, he has learnt so much with the support of the staff, they have a full understanding of his needs and always keep me informed on his progress'
• 'extra support in place and liaison with parents'
• 'regular meetings with SENCo and EHCP applications'
• 'taking time to assess his needs regularly, knowing him well enough to meet his needs'
• 'my son attends nursery three days a week from 8am to 6pm. He has a behaviour management plan; a flight risk plan and they manage his needs well'
• 'my nursery has supported me massively in all referrals that led to my son’s diagnosis of Autism. They completed paperwork for inclusion funding, paediatrics referrals and speech and language. The manager is amazing and deserves some recognition'

These are all positive comments that show that the majority of parents who responded with children with SEND are happy with the provision they are accessing. Work continues within the team to ensure those that have not been able to access the childcare they need and that meets their child's needs is available to them.

Information for parents and carers on SEND childcare provision

The early years and childcare support team continue to work closely with the sector, making use of support packages such as Dingley’s Promise to strengthen provision and practice. Their focus includes ensuring staff are well-trained, developing inclusive environments and exploring effective ways to maximise budgets to better support children with SEND.

Cost of childcare

We asked parents for their opinion on the costs of childcare, 47% said it was either reasonable or inexpensive.

• 6% (64) said they felt childcare was inexpensive or low cost
• 41% (424) said they felt childcare was reasonable or affordable
• 53% (561) said they felt childcare was expensive or high cost

Working families entitlement

In the spring budget 2023 the government announced a range of measures to support parents into work. This included the introduction of the working entitlement from the term after a child is 9 months old until they reach school age for eligible parents. We wanted to know how many of the respondents were entitled to the funding and what impact it has made to families:

• 45% (469) of all respondents said yes they were entitled
• 42% (445) of all respondents said no
• 13% (135) of all respondents said they were unsure

We asked if government funding in the past year helped parents start work, training, or increase hours. 24% said yes - most increased their hours, and 55 respondents went from not working to working. Others gave reasons like returning early from maternity leave, studying, or maintaining hours.

Other government offers such as tax-free childcare

It’s encouraging to see that nearly three-quarters (73%) of families are making use of government support to help manage childcare costs, highlighting strong awareness and uptake of available financial assistance.  

The remaining 27% said they do not access government support for childcare. The main reasons included:

• ineligibility for the available schemes
• lack of awareness about the support options
• finding the application process too complicated
• using alternative support, such as employer-provided childcare vouchers

Information for parents and carers on childcare costs

Support is available from the government to support parents and carers to pay for the childcare they need. 

The local authority has a number of ways to support families to access the information they need and to assist them to complete applications for all offers of support. 

Childcare providers can also assist or signpost parents to available services, Family Hubs and Children’s Centres where parents can access information advice and support. Childcare and family support - Lincolnshire County Council.

Accessing information about childcare providers

Respondents were asked how they find out information about childcare provision in their area, as a multiple-choice question, the top results were:

• word of mouth (668 responses)
• internet searches (646 responses)
• social media (393 responses)
• other answers included:
  • their nursery or school
  • friends and family
  • emails
  • county council
  • forums
  • work

Further information for parents and carers on finding childcare

The family services directory is available to all parents and contains an extensive directory of childcare providers and services available to them.

Additional comments – what parents told us

We received 413 additional comments on overall childcare provision. Many reflected the diverse and complex challenges that childcare presents dependant on parents needs. The most common themes were:

The need for more flexibility (334 comments):

• childcare with extended hours, early drop-offs, and late pick-ups
• finding childcare that fits shift work or irregular schedules
• childminders providing flexibility
• emergency childcare options

Cost (83 comments):

• significant impact on family budgets
• perceived limitations of government support or recognised challenges in fully meeting needs through current government funding

Limited availability (42 comments):

• some waiting lists and limited places
• some parents have to book childcare before their child is born to secure a spot

Holiday care (12 comments):

• challenges in finding affordable, full-day care during school holidays
• substantial cost and a need for better quality

Wraparound care (12 comments):

• a need for before and after school care
• options that match parents working hours

Conclusions and next steps

Most families in Lincolnshire are able to access the childcare they need, especially for younger children. However, we have identified a need for:

• families with children aged 4 to 11
• those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
• parents who work non-traditional hours

Parents in particular highlighted the need for more:

• holiday clubs
• wraparound care
• better support for children with additional needs

While many families benefit from government support, others find the system difficult to access or insufficient to cover costs.

This feedback gives us a clearer picture of what’s working and where improvements are needed.

Next steps

• analyse all feedback from both parents and childcare providers to identify key gaps and opportunities
• prepare a detailed internal report for Lincolnshire County Council’s leadership and councillors, including recommendations for action
• develop childcare places where gaps are identified
• continue to invest in the existing childcare sector through support, advice and training
• update the strategy for childcare delivery to reflect what families have told us, ensuring it supports working, studying, and training parents
• share the updated strategy publicly in autumn 2025, so families can see how their input is shaping local childcare services