Ofsted statistics on the number of registered childcare providers and places in England show that there are now at least 8,181 fewer childcare providers than there were at the end of August.
At the end of December 2008 the number of group settings was down by 6,510 and there were 1,671 fewer childminders (see table, below).
Figures for the end of March, due next month, are expected to reveal a bleaker picture.
New figures
Ofsted's latest report is the first to group information on childcare providers according to whether they are registered on the Early Years Register, offering childcare for birth to five, or the Childcare Register, childcare for five to seven-year-olds.
It also shows whether they have chosen to register on the voluntary part of the Childcare Register, looking after older children.
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