This market synopsis examines the trends and market developments affecting the childcare sector. It provides information targeted specifically at new, existing or aspiring small business owners who are aiming to trade or develop their interests within this sector.
The UK's childcare sector includes the provision of care from community, voluntary and private sector sources. Establishments providing care for other people's children, day or night, for more than two hours in any 24-hour period, must be registered with the relevant regulatory authority. These are the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) in England, the Care and Social Services Inspectorate in Wales, the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care, and the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety in Northern Ireland.
Registered providers include childminders; full-day nurseries providing more than two hours' daily care for children between the ages of six weeks and eight years; sessional day care providing fewer than four hours' care per day (including playgroups) and looking after children under the age of eight; crèches providing care for the under-eights on an ad-hoc basis; and out-of-school care, including breakfast, after-school and holiday clubs.
Unregistered providers include nannies and au pairs who are employed to look after children in their own homes; babysitters providing care as required; and family members, including grandparents, providing informal childcare, usually without payment.
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