Childcare in Dunstable
Dunstable has 6 day nurseries, 4 pre-schools, 19 school nursery classes, 21 childminders and 16 after-school clubs. Ofsted has inspected 18 of them, and rated every one Good or better, 5 of them Outstanding. 48 have never been inspected, which usually means recently registered. Across Central Bedfordshire there are 27 places per 100 children under five, worse supplied than England as a whole at 32.
Places per 100 under-fives is registered capacity at nurseries, pre-schools and childminders across Central Bedfordshire, 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 68 school nursery classes across Central Bedfordshire, because nobody publishes how many children they take.
66 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.
- Jun 2026Opened TreeHouse Bellows Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Opened Kidz Zone Club - St Augustines Academy Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Opened Kidz Zone Club - Totternoe Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Opened Kidz Zone Club - Studham Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Opened Kidz Zone Club - Lime Tree Academy Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Opened Fun Fest Harlington Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Opened Kidz Zone Club - Dunstable Icknield Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Opened Kidz Zone Club - Houghton Regis Primary Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Opened Kidz Zone Club - Thornill Primary School Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Closed Kidz Zone Club (Houghton Regis Primary) Sessional day care
- Jun 2026Closed Kidz Zone Club Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Closed Kidz Zone Club Out-of-school day care
What people ask about childcare in Dunstable
Answered from the figures on this page, so they stay in step with it.
Which nurseries in Dunstable take funded hours?
22 of the 66 settings in Dunstable 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 Councils do not publish a list of approved providers, so the rest are unknown rather than a no.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 Dunstable rated Outstanding?
Yes. 5 of the 18 settings Ofsted has inspected in Dunstable hold an Outstanding grade.
Which nurseries in Dunstable take babies?
43 settings in Dunstable 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 Dunstable?
Central Bedfordshire has 27 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 Dunstable
Worth widening the search to, especially if you drive to work.