Childcare in Dover
Dover has 18 day nurseries, 3 pre-schools, 4 school nursery classes, 1 childminder and 7 after-school clubs. Ofsted has inspected 21 of them, and rated every one Good or better, 2 of them Outstanding. 12 have never been inspected, which usually means recently registered. Across Kent there are 33 places per 100 children under five, about the same as England as a whole at 32.
Places per 100 under-fives is registered capacity at nurseries, pre-schools and childminders across Kent, divided by the children aged 0 to 4 who live there at the 2021 Census. It compares areas; it is not a count of free places today. It also leaves out the 138 school nursery classes across Kent, because nobody publishes how many children they take.
33 settings, best rated first. Search by postcode to sort them by how far they really are.
What has changed here
Ofsted does not publish closures, so we work them out by comparing releases. Worth knowing if you are working from an old list.
- Dec 2025Opened St Mary's Wraparound Out-of-school day care
- Dec 2025Opened Guston Wraparound Out-of-school day care
- Dec 2025Opened Tiger Club - Whinless Down Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2025Opened Lydden Wraparound Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2025Closed Dover Academy Out-of-school day care
What people ask about childcare in Dover
Answered from the figures on this page, so they stay in step with it.
Which nurseries in Dover take funded hours?
10 of the 33 settings in Dover are recorded as taking the government funded hours. Councils do not publish a list of approved providers, so the rest are unknown rather than a no.
Are any nurseries in Dover rated Outstanding?
Yes. 2 of the 21 settings Ofsted has inspected in Dover hold an Outstanding grade.
Which nurseries in Dover take babies?
28 settings in Dover are registered to take children under two. Ofsted's register does not say whether a setting runs a baby room or has space in it, so ring before you plan around it.
Is it hard to get a nursery place in Dover?
Kent has 33 registered childcare places for every 100 children under five, against 32 across England. That is registered capacity rather than free places, so it compares areas rather than telling you what is available this week.
Towns close to Dover
Worth widening the search to, especially if you drive to work.