Early years and 0-5 childcare

About childcare

Childcare is the care of children by professionals other than their parents. These professionals are called childcare providers. There are lots of different types of childcare providers in Derby depending on your needs:

• Childminders – who care for children from birth onwards, looking after them in their own home and mostly offer an all year round service.
• Crèches – which usually care for children from birth to five years and are generally provided for parents attending courses or sports activities.
• Day nurseries – which usually care for children from 0 to 5 years between 8am and 6pm each weekday and are open all year round. Some provide care before and after school and in the school holidays.
• Home carers/nannies – who come to the child's home and are employed by the family.
• Pre-school playgroups – which mainly care for children aged two to five years old. Some pre-school playgroups offer part-time places with either morning or afternoon sessions and others offer longer sessions such as 9am to 3pm. Pre-schools playgroups only run during term time.
• Out of school care – such as before-school and after-school clubs and school holiday schemes.
• Nursery classes and schools – usually care for children aged 2 to 5 years old generally only open during term time. Some nursery classes and schools offer part-time places with either morning or afternoon sessions and others offer longer sessions such as 9am to 3pm.

Search our online directory to find Ofsted-registered childcare providers in your area.

Find childcare in Derby

Find childcare in Derby

If you are looking for childcare, search our free online directory for contact details of childcare providers in the city.

Find childcare in Derby

Alternatively, you can email fis@derby.gov.uk or telephone 01332 640758.

If you would like support finding suitable childcare, the Families Information Services provides a free Childcare brokerage service for parents and carers.

Help paying for childcare

Tax-Free Childcare

Tax-Free Childcare is a scheme set up by HMRC. Parents can open an online account, which they pay into to cover the cost of childcare with a registered provider. For disabled children up to the age of 17, you can receive up to £4000 per child - that's up to £1000 every three months. For information on how to apply for an account, visit the Childcare Choices website.

Funded childcare for 2 year olds

Some parent and carers maybe eligible if they:

• meet an economic criterion
• have special guardianship
• or the child looked after by the Derby City Local Authority
• or the child receives Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
• or the child has an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).

For further information and to apply, visit our Funded early learning for two year olds page.

Funded childcare for 3-4 year olds

All children aged three and four are eligible for up to 15 hours of funded childcare the term after they turn three years old.

For further information and to apply, visit our Funded early learning for 3-4 year olds page.

Extended Entitlement of 30 hours childcare

Some working parents and carers of 3-4 year olds may be eligible for an additional 15 hours funded childcare on top of the existing 15 hours early education entitlement. To check if you qualify, visit the Childcare Choices website.

SEND support in childcare

Special educational needs coordinator (SENCo)

All childcare providers have a special educational needs coordinator (SENCo). They will discuss your child’s needs and how the setting can support them. It's their responsibility to coordinate support for your child in the setting and to work alongside other professionals. SENCo's should ensure that all the needs of your child are planned for in advance and that you are kept informed with all decisions.

Specialist Teaching and Psychology Service (STePS)

STePS is made up of two teams:

• Advisory Teachers Team
• Educational Psychologists

Advisory Teachers, Advisors and Specialist HLTAs provide support and advice for children and young people with sensory impairment, physical impairment and social communication and autism spectrum disorders. Early Intervention Practitioners provide advice and support for pre-school children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) and disabilities and their parents.

The Educational Psychology Service (EPS) provides a wide range of services to help the People’s Services department with identifying and meeting the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities of children and young people aged 0-25. This includes working with educational settings to support a graduated response‌‌‌‌ to special educational needs provision and advising on statutory support as part of an education, health and care needs assessment.

To contact the STePS team, telephone 01332 641400 or email stepsadmin@derby.gov.uk.

Early Years Inclusion Fund (EYIF)

Some children with development needs have additional care needs and childcare providers can request funding to help. This is called The Early Years Inclusion Fund.

Your childcare provider can request this on your child’s behalf using the Early Years Inclusion Fund request form which is available on the Schools Information Portal. 

If your child attends a private, voluntary or independent early years setting your provider can get support to apply for funding from the Specialist Teaching and Psychology service. You can email the Early Years SEND Team at stepsadmin@derby.gov.uk. The Early Years Inclusion Fund panels are held once a term and are responsible for allocating the funding.

Children's centres

Derby's children's centres deliver a wide range of inclusive and targeted groups and activities for families with children up to 8 years.

Family Hub

Derby’s Family Hub delivers a wide range of inclusive and targeted groups and activities for families with children and young people 0-19, (up to 25 for SEND) enabling families to access the right services, in the right place, at the right time. 

Watch this film to find out more about the Family Hub in Derby:

Start for Life

Derby's Start for Life programme delivers a wide range of inclusive and targeted groups and activities for parents, carers and their babies from pregnancy to 2 years.

Fun things to do

You can find information on fun things to do for your child in Derby.

Search the directory for fun things to do

Contact Families has created a Holidays play and leisure guide which provides information about what play, leisure, and short breaks options are available and where to find more information. It also has information about arranging holidays for disabled children and details of organisations which provide grants for these types of activities.

The Families Information Service Facebook page has lots of resources including videos of stories, songs and activities.

Derby Libraries has partnered up with Derby Theatre to produce Rhymetime, a series of fun videos and rhymes to help children learn to read. 

Better Health, Healthier Families is the NHS’s healthy eating and accessible activities programme to support parents.

The BBC runs Tiny Happy People, an online platform that help parents develop their child's communication skills through simple interaction and play.

SEND Health Notification

Health professionals must formally notify us if they identify a child or young person under compulsory school age (0-5yrs) who they think has or probably has SEN or a disability (Section 23 of the Children and Families Act 2014).

If you are a professional who'd like to bring a child with suspected SEN to our attention, you can notify us online. Guidance is available to help you with the Health Notification.

Submit a Health Notification

‌The health notification will be forwarded to a STePS team member. The STePS team will write to the child’s school or early years setting to let them know that a health practitioner has concerns about the child and to advise them to meet with the child’s parents or carers to discuss the implications and consider next steps.