The free app, Choosing Childcare with the Pre-School Learning Alliance, is sponsored by Danone, and features a map pinpointing nurseries and children's centres.
Parents can use the map to search for childcare settings in their area, which are indicated by red pin points. By clicking on a pin point, users can bring up the contact details and Ofsted report of an individual setting, as well as the best route to get there.
Childminders who choose to will be able to have their contact information published on the Ofsted website from September and will also have their details added to the map.
Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Alliance, told Nursery World, 'Parents find it difficult choosing childcare based on Ofsted grades alone.
'The Government has said it is keen to get parents to use Ofsted reports, but we couldn't see how they would deliver on this. Our app is designed to make it easier for parents to be better informed.'
The app also has a Parent Zone, with a series of help pages covering the free entitlement, how to choose a setting, including what questions to ask, and the settling in process when a child starts daycare.
The Parent Zone, which will be regularly updated, also features the Infant and Toddler Forum's Ten Steps for Healthy Toddlers, a resource used by all of the Alliance's settings.
The Alliance is also considering listing settings on the map by their Ofsted grade.
The app will be available to download from the Apple Store next month.
In February, an online searchable directory of 60,000 childcare providers called the Good Care Guide was launched.
