The latest Childcare and Early Years Survey of Parents in England shows that 74 per cent of children living in the least deprived areas took up a childcare place in 2019, compared to 57 per cent of children in the most deprived areas.
The annual statistics also reveal that three- and four-year-olds are most likely to attend formal childcare settings, while children aged one and under are least likely.
A third of children from birth to four used informal childcare last year. Children were most likely to be cared for by grandparents.
Parents on the lowest incomes (earning below £10,000) and those living in the most deprived areas were less likely to be aware of the entitlement to 15 hours of free childcare.
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