Think about your needs
Your childcare options will be different depending on the age of your child and the needs of your family. There's no single type of early education or childcare that suits every family, and it may be that a mix of early education and childcare will suit you.
These are the types of early education and childcare available:
- childminder
- day nursery
- maintained nursery schools and classes
- nurseries
- pre-school playgroups
- breakfast and after-school clubs
- holiday club
Not all providers choose to make their information available on the internet. So if you can't find what you're looking for, then contact our families information service, email info.fis@derbyshire.gov.uk or telephone: 01629 535793.
Choosing a childcare provider
Once you know what's available in your area, make contact with the providers to find out what they offer and whether this will meet your needs.
To help families in their search, Coram Family and Childcare have provided 5 steps to choosing childcare along with a short film for parents to help them when choosing early education and childcare.
Most early education and childcare for children aged under 8 is registered and inspected by Ofsted. An Ofsted inspection report can help you make an informed decision about the quality of early education and childcare. You can find a provider's inspection report. All Ofsted-registered providers must display their Ofsted registration certificate.
We don't endorse or recommend services. We advise you to carefully consider which service is right for you and your child.