Statistics Publication Notice: Education and Training Series: Pre-School and Childcare Statistics 2010

Statistics on Pre-School and Childcare


Table 1: Total number of childcare centres and childminders by main service type, and total number of local authority and partnership pre-school providers, 2006 to 2010

Main service

Number of centres as at January…

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

Childminder

6,050

6,020

6,055

6,039

6,066

Childcare centre

Nursery

2,415

2,412

2,449

2,425

2,450

Playgroup

629

574

521

462

420

Out of school club

763

774

764

740

719

Breakfast club

2

0

2

0

0

Creche

168

168

168

141

136

Children/ family centre

125

132

114

112

108

Sitter service

-

20

17

17

17

Holiday playscheme

93

88

86

73

67

No single main service

143

86

91

82

71

Unknown

61

55

67

68

Centre closed or not operating

80

142

69

155

69

Total childcare centres

4,418

4,457

4,336

4,274

4,125

TOTAL

10,468

10,477

10,391

10,313

10,191

Local authority or partnership pre-school education providers

2,763

2,750

2,702

2,645

2,615

Notes:

The number of childminders is the number registered with the Care Commission as at January 2010, and includes inactive childminders (8 per cent of total in 2010).

The number of childminders in 2006 and 2007 has been rounded to the nearest 10, as presented in previous years.

Where childcare centres did not provide information, the previous year's information has been used, where available.

The number of centres is the number registered with Care Commission when the census form mailing was being prepared (usually around November of the previous year). Each year some centres reply to the mailing to say that they were closed or not currently operating.

The number of pre-school providers decreased in 2008 due to better identification of pre-school centres that were not in partnership with the local authority.

Information on sitter services was not collected prior to 2007.

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