AQW 47698/22-27

Mrs Michelle Guy
Alliance Party
Lagan Valley

Tabled Date: 02/06/2026
Answered On Date: 11/06/2026
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Education to detail the current (i) median; (ii) lowest; and (iii) highest, cost for full-time childcare as gathered through Northern Ireland Childcare Subsidy Scheme data.

Answer:

As part of the Department’s ongoing monitoring of the Northern Ireland Childcare Subsidy Scheme (NICSS), a recurring data collection exercise is in place to gather information on childcare fees directly from registered providers. The most recent exercise has captured fees as of April 2026, with the initial focus placed on daycare nursery provision, as this represents the largest concentration of childcare places and NICSS expenditure and almost 80% coverage of the sector. Analysis of other provider types will follow as data collection progresses.

Based on self-reported fee data from over 90% of registered Day Nursery providers in Northern Ireland, the median full-time daily childcare fee as of April 2026 was £62. The lowest reported full-time daily fee was £31 and the highest was £90.

The lowest and highest fees represent a small number of providers at the extremes of the distribution. The middle 50% of reported fees fall between approximately £56 and £69 per day.

Providers were asked to report their full-time daily fee, although the number of hours covered by a full-time place may vary between providers.

These figures present the fees charged by Day Nursery providers before any financial support is applied. Depending on their circumstances, parents may be eligible for up to 85% support with Universal Credit or up to 32% support with Tax-Free Childcare and the Northern Ireland Childcare Subsidy Scheme.