FAMILIES IN THE North are more reliant on friends and family for childcare than those in the Republic.

The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), in partnership with the Shared Island unit, has published new research comparing early childhood education and care (ECEC) in Ireland and Northern Ireland.

In the Republic, 39% of children aged four and under are mainly cared for by their parents only, whereas this figure is 33% in the North.

However, care by family and friends is much more common in the North at 39%, while this figure is only at 6% in the Republic.

There is also a big discrepancy in the number of children aged four and under whose main type of childcare is centre-based.

Centre-based care is the main care type for 42% of children in the Republic, but only 21% in the North.

While children in both jurisdictions are entitled to free universal pre-school provision, the hours provided are longer in Ireland (15 hours) than in the North (12.5 hours).

Income levels

The ESRI also found that in the Republic, mothers of young children tend to work longer hours and are more reliant on formal childcare, while in the North mothers are more likely to work part-time and are more reliant on friends and family for care.

In the North, 44% of women with children under the age of five work part-time, compared to only 33% in the Republic.

Meanwhile, rates of employment among mothers of children under
five are 69% in Northern Ireland and 64% in Ireland, a gap that the ESRI said is “not statistically significant”.

In both jurisdictions, centre-based care is more common when mothers are employed and family income levels are higher and lone parents are more likely to rely on friends or family than are two-parent families.

The report also found that social inequalities are equally prevalent among young children in Northern Ireland and Ireland and that in both jurisdictions, social background and home learning environment (such as being read to) play a greater role in child outcomes than participation in ECEC.

Both systems also face similar challenges around affordability for parents, as well as the employment conditions of early years staff.

Interviews with stakeholders both sides of the border noted that low pay levels and staff retention can be a challenge, and while the new Core Funding Model has been introduced to address low pay it is too early to assess the impact.

And while the pace of policy developments in ECEC in Ireland has been described by some as “rapid” in recent years, stakeholders in the North expressed frustration that the lack of an Executive has stalled policy progress.

For example, extensions in the hours of universal pre-school provision have been implemented in the rest of the UK, but not yet in Northern Ireland.

Ireland and the UK also regularly feature among the countries with the highest costs for full-time care in the OECD.

In 2021, the OECD estimated childcare costs for parents of a two year old and a three year old in full-time daycare.

After taking into account any childcare subsidies or tax credits families may be eligible for, typical net childcare costs were around 29% of average earnings in the UK and 31% of average earnings in Ireland.

However, there report acknowledged that there are schemes in both regions, through initiatives such as the National Childcare Scheme in the Republic and Universal Credit in the North, that result in reduced costs for low-income households.

The ESRI also noted that there is significant scope for policy learning across the island of Ireland.

Stakeholders in the Republic also highlighted the merits of the Sure Start system in Northern Ireland for its “wraparound and integrated services for children living in disadvantaged areas”.

Sure Start is a programme that supports parents with children aged under four years old, living in disadvantaged areas in Northern Ireland.

Dr Helen Russell, one of the report’s authors said that “high quality services are essential to ensure children benefit from early childhood education and care”.

She added: “This study shows that childcare systems in Ireland and Northern Ireland can learn from each other in promoting quality and inclusivity.

“In both systems, there is further scope to improve the level of spending on young children in line with that in other wealthy countries and expand provision for children under three.

“The overall differences identified in childcare provision and the working patterns of women are also notable, with more reliance on formal provision in Ireland, and higher levels of part-time work by mothers of young children in Northern Ireland.”