Whether you’re returning to work post-parental leave or embarking on a new career after spending quality time at home with your kids, finding the right childcare for your family is critical.
You’re definitely doing the right thing researching! But there are so many childcare options in the UK that it can feel daunting even knowing where to begin.
I’m going to try and simplify things for you by examining each of your childcare options, explaining what it is, where the care takes place, and some of the average costs around the country.
I’ll suggest who I think each childcare option might be most relevant for, taking into account costs, SEN requirements, and whether you have multiples or small age-gaps between children. Of course, you’ll want to make your own ‘pros and cons’ list but hopefully this should get you started.
| Childcare Option | Usual Age Range | Setting Sizes | Ratios | Average Maximum Hours | Location |
| Nursery | 0-5 years | Medium to Large | 3:1-5:1 | 8am-6pm | On-site |
| Full-time Nanny | 0-5 years | Small | 1:1-3:1 | Flexible | In home |
| Nanny Share | 0-5 years | Small | 2:1-4:1 | Flexible | In home |
| Night Nanny | 0-6 months | Small | 1:1 | Overnight | In home |
| Maternity Nurse | 0-3 months | Small | 1:1 | Overnight | In home |
| Au Pair | 0-5 years | Small | Varies | Varies | In home |
| Live-in Nanny | 0-5 years | Small | 1:1-3:1 | Varies | In home |
| Mother’s Help | 0-5 years | Small | Varies | Varies | In home |
| Childminder | 0-12 years | Small to Medium | 3:1 | 8am-6pm | On-site |
| After-school Clubs | 4-11 years | Small | 3:1 to 8:1 | 3pm-6pm | On-site |
| Wraparound Care | 0-11 years | Varies | Varies | Varies | In home or out |
Recently moved to the UK
If you’ve recently moved from overseas and are a little lost with some of the terminology, you’re not alone. Even for British people, the British childcare system is really hard to navigate. As an expat (aka an immigrant) myself, I know it’s even harder when you don’t understand the words people are saying! Even though I come from an English-speaking country (New Zealand), the British words for childcare options were different from my home country and that was very confusing initially. I’ve created a cheat-sheet for UK childcare choices terminology translated from other countries.