Quarterly data shows there were 9,700 registered providers offering 237,100 places at the end of March. But in the past six months the number of providers has dropped by 300 and the number of places has fallen by 7,000.
The number of childminders has also decreased by 400 since the last tally in June.
Meanwhile, the total number of childcare places in England is continuing to rise. At the end of September there were 107,600 providers offering 1,559,400 places, an increase of 14,300 since June.
There are now 13,600 full daycare providers. This continues a trend which has seen places for all-day care rise steadily since 2003.
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