1. Home
  2. Parenting, childcare and children's services

Childcare and early years

Finding childcare, running a childcare business, financial support, data collection, local authority obligations.

Services

  1. Find free early education and childcare

    Check if your council offers free early education and childcare

  2. Find an Ofsted inspection report

    Search for Ofsted inspection reports for childminders and childcare providers, schools, colleges, further education providers, children and families services

  3. Find a nursery school place

    Apply for a place in a nursery school for children under 5 through your local council

  1. Find a registered childminder

    Contact your local council to find a registered childminder - Family Information Service, early years education, childcare and family support in your area

  2. Childcare out of school hours

    Childcare for your children before and after school - after-school clubs, breakfast clubs, homework clubs, childminders

See all services

Guidance and regulation

  1. Early years foundation stage statutory framework (EYFS)

    Statutory guidance

    Department for Education

  2. Early years foundation stage

    The early years foundation stage (EYFS) sets standards for the learning, development and care of children from birth to 5

    Answer

  3. Unpaid parental leave

    Employer and employee guide to unpaid parental leave - eligibility, how much leave can be taken and notice periods

    Guide

  1. Check early years qualifications

    • Detailed guide
    • Department for Education

  2. Complain about a school or childminder

    Complain about a school or childminder - complaints process, when to complain to the Department for Education, the Education Funding Agency or Ofsted

    • Guide
See all guidance and regulation

News and communications

NAAS: early adopters grants

Department for Education

Correspondence

  1. Ofsted Chief Inspector launches her first Annual Report on state of education and children’s care in England

    • Ofsted
    • Press release

  2. Views sought on early years education for disadvantaged children

    • Department for Education
    • News story

  3. Healthy eating guidance published for the early years sector

    • Department for Education
    • News story

  4. Robert Goodwill: speech to Nursery World Business Summit

    • Department for Education
    • Speech
See all news and communications

Policy and engagement

  1. Surveys on childcare and early years in England

    Department for Education

    Closed consultation

    Date closed 18 May 2018

  2. Early education and childcare workforce: level 2 qualifications

    Department for Education

    Closed consultation

    Date closed 28 February 2018

  1. Supporting early years providers to run sustainable businesses

    • Department for Education
    • Policy paper

  2. Early years workforce strategy

    • Department for Education
    • Policy paper

  3. Early years providers: how to respond to changing needs

    • Department for Education
    • Case study
See all policy and engagement

Transparency

  1. Children’s services omnibus

    • Department for Education
    • Research

  2. 30 hours free childcare: eligibility codes issued and validated

    • Department for Education
    • Official statistics

  3. FOI: early years dataset as at 31 December 2017

    • Ofsted
    • Statistical data set

  4. Childcare providers and inspections as at 31 December 2017

    • Ofsted
    • Official statistics

  5. 30 hours free childcare: spring term 2018

    • Department for Education
    • Official statistics
See all transparency

Organisations

Show more organisations