Childcare in Dunmow
Dunmow has 6 day nurseries, 7 pre-schools, 6 childminders and 5 after-school clubs. Ofsted has inspected 16 of them and rated 14 Good or better, 4 of them Outstanding. 8 have never been inspected, which usually means recently registered. Across Essex there are 36 places per 100 children under five, better supplied than England as a whole at 32.
Places per 100 under-fives is registered capacity at nurseries, pre-schools and childminders across Essex, 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 154 school nursery classes across Essex, because nobody publishes how many children they take.
2 settings match. 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 Butterfly out of school club Out-of-school day care
- Dec 2025Closed White Mill Pre-School Ltd Sessional day care
What people ask about childcare in Dunmow
Answered from the figures on this page, so they stay in step with it.
Which nurseries in Dunmow take funded hours?
2 of the 24 settings in Dunmow 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 Councils do not publish a list of approved providers, so the rest are unknown rather than a no.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 Dunmow rated Outstanding?
Yes. 4 of the 16 settings Ofsted has inspected in Dunmow hold an Outstanding grade.
Which nurseries in Dunmow take babies?
22 settings in Dunmow 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 Dunmow?
Essex has 36 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 Dunmow
Worth widening the search to, especially if you drive to work.