Nursery World - Full daycare providers on the rise

The number of full daycare places and providers is continuing to rise steadily, according to figures published by Ofsted last week. Quarterly data on the number of registered childcare providers and places shows that there were 12,100 registered daycare providers offering 518,000 places at the end of March. This is a rise of 10,300 places since figures were last published in December 2004.

Quarterly data on the number of registered childcare providers and places shows that there were 12,100 registered daycare providers offering 518,000 places at the end of March. This is a rise of 10,300 places since figures were last published in December 2004.

The number of out-of-school care providers has remained steady at 9,700, while figures for playgroups and private nursery schools show a small drop in sessional care.

The number of childminders has also dropped and is down from 71,000 to 70,200.

Gill Haynes, chief executive of the National Childminding Association, said, 'These figures show that the workforce is currently stabilising and I don't feel there has been a significant fall in the overall number of registered childminders. Recent developments, such as changes to Working Tax Credit entitlement, are likely to mean that more parents will be looking for registered childcare and NCMA will be looking to see what effect this will have in the future.'

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