Editor's View

According to the Daycare Trust, last year day nurseries in England provided 264,200 places, of which 17,200 were in local authority provision. Our league table, which includes places across the UK and Ireland, suggests that the 'top 20' chains offer nearly twice as many places as local authority nurseries, and provide about a tenth of all private nursery places. They are undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with.

This is a time of explosive growth in private daycare. The oldest of the groups in the league table, Nord Anglia, was launched in 1972; seven started up in the 1980s, and 12 in the 1990s. The third-largest group, Leapfrog, set up as recently as 1998. The City is sitting up and taking notice - we have received a spate of calls from analysts and consultants over recent months, seeking information about the market. The sector is highly attractive to investors, and investment means growth. Some will feel uncomfortable with the idea of childcare as big business, but cash to fund expansion must come from somewhere -and not all of it will come from the public purse.