Setting up your childcare business

Setting up a childcare business / day care provision for children is the same as setting up any business. You will firstly wish to establish the viability of such a provision.

You will need to see whether you have access to suitable premises and suitable people with childcare qualifications. You may also wish to carry out market research to check if the service you are planning is the service required by the public.

To identify provisions already established in areas across Bedfordshire you can contact the Children's Information Service on (01234) 228229 or visit the website |

What is 'day care'?

Day care is care provided at any time for children under the age of eight on non-domestic premises, where the period (or total periods) in any day during which the children are looked after on the premises exceeds two hours.  There are many different types of day care provision:

Full Day Care:
Day care for children under eight for a continuous period of four hours or more a day. Babies and pre-school children can be cared for.

Sessional Care:
Day care for children under eight for sessions that are less than a continuous period of four hours in any day. Examples are playgroups than open mornings only or those that run both mornings and afternoons but with a break between the sessions when children do not attend. Used by children from 2½-5 years.

Out of School Care:
Day care for children under eight which operates for more than two hours per day and more than five days a years. Examples include: summer camps, holiday playschemes, breakfast clubs and after school clubs.

Crèches:
Crèches provide occasional care fore children under eight on more than five days or more a year. They need to be registered where they run for a total of more than two hours a day, even when individual children attend for shorter periods. Examples include crèches at supermarkets, colleges and leisure clubs.

What next?

The Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) is responsible for the regulation of childminding and daycare in England. The National Standards represent a baseline of quality below which no provider may fall. However, they are also intended to underpin a continuous improvement in quality in all settings.

For more information please contact the Childcare Development team based at Bedfordshire County Council on (01234) 276146 . They will be able to assist in all aspects of setting up a new daycare provision.