Childcare in Folkestone
Folkestone has 19 day nurseries, 4 pre-schools, 5 school nursery classes, 5 childminders and 8 after-school clubs. Ofsted has inspected 27 of them and rated 23 Good or better, 5 of them Outstanding. 14 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.
41 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 2025Closed Teachsport Canterbury Out-of-school day care
- Dec 2025Closed Little Acorns Childcare Full day care
- Dec 2025Closed Lyminge Pre-School Full day care
- Dec 2025Opened KidzplanetASC@Littlestarsnursery Out-of-school day care
- Dec 2025Opened The Sports Trust Holiday Club Out-of-school day care
- Dec 2025Opened Greenfields@ St George's LTD Out-of-school day care
- Dec 2025Opened Lyminge Preschool CIO Full day care
- Jun 2025Opened In The Sticks Childcare Full day care
What people ask about childcare in Folkestone
Answered from the figures on this page, so they stay in step with it.
Which nurseries in Folkestone take funded hours?
9 of the 41 settings in Folkestone 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 Councils do not publish a list of approved providers, so the rest are unknown rather than a no.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 Folkestone rated Outstanding?
Yes. 5 of the 27 settings Ofsted has inspected in Folkestone hold an Outstanding grade.
Which nurseries in Folkestone take babies?
34 settings in Folkestone 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 Folkestone?
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 Folkestone
Worth widening the search to, especially if you drive to work.