Childcare places available drop by thousands

The statistics, which show the number of childcare providers and places at the end of December, show a fall in both the numbers of childminders and ‘non-domestic’ childcare settings on the Early Years Register since September.

Registered Childcare Providers and Places in England, December 2009, shows that the number of childminders has fallen by 813 over the last quarter, from 58,611 to a new low of 57,798, while the number of non-domestic settings has fallen by 146, from 27,131 to 26,985. The total number of childcare places across all types of setting now stands at 1,321,144, down from 1,332,976, in September (News, 4 November).

For the first time, Ofsted have included a table comparing the number of ‘active providers’ on the Early Years Register with the number of childcare providers joining and leaving the sector in the past quarter.

Andrew Fletcher, joint chief executive of the National Childminding Association, said, ‘NCMA is disappointed that the number of registered childminders is continuing to decline, albeit at a slower rate. There are a number of reasons for this, most notably changes to policy and regulatory frameworks and the challenging economic environment. Membership of NCMA has remained stable and the percentage of registered childminders who are benefiting from NCMA membership is continuing to grow.’

A spokesperson from Ofsted said, ‘There may be many reasons why the number of childminders has fallen; for example, a fall in demand or that, in common with many other areas of business, the economic recession may have meant some childcare providers can no longer continue. Ofsted does not record providers' reasons for resigning their registration as this information is not required for the purposes of regulation or inspection.’

Purnima Tanuku, chief executive of the National Day Nurseries Association, added, ‘Any fall in the number of childcare places is a concern. These figures stress why local authorities and providers must ensure that there is a robust childcare sufficiency process in place to ensure any closures can be monitored and support offered, for example if it is identified that these might be occurring due to local job losses.’

The number of nannies, categorised as ‘home childcarers’ who have chosen to join the Voluntary Childcare Register has increased from 6,348 to 6,808.