Childcare in Harrogate
Harrogate has 24 day nurseries, 8 pre-schools, 18 school nursery classes, 4 childminders and 15 after-school clubs. Ofsted has inspected 34 of them and rated 31 Good or better, 7 of them Outstanding. 35 have never been inspected, which usually means recently registered. Across North Yorkshire there are 39 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 North Yorkshire, 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 169 school nursery classes across North Yorkshire, because nobody publishes how many children they take.
69 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 Rock Climbing 6 Sessional day care
- Jun 2026Opened Total Sports @ Rossett Sports Centre Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Closed Bentley, Nicola Katie
- Jun 2026Closed The Harrogate Hive Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Closed Burn Bridge Preschool Limited Sessional day care
- Jun 2026Closed Rossett Sports Centre Tsl Out-of-school day care
- Dec 2025Closed Kids Planet Harrogate Full day care
- Dec 2025Opened Bentley, Nicola Katie
- Jun 2025Opened Premier Education Grove Road WAC Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2025Opened Little Explorers Day Nursery Full day care
- Jun 2025Closed Little Explorers Nursery Full day care
What people ask about childcare in Harrogate
Answered from the figures on this page, so they stay in step with it.
Which nurseries in Harrogate take funded hours?
24 of the 69 settings in Harrogate 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 Councils do not publish a list of approved providers, so the rest are unknown rather than a no.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 Harrogate rated Outstanding?
Yes. 7 of the 34 settings Ofsted has inspected in Harrogate hold an Outstanding grade.
Which nurseries in Harrogate take babies?
45 settings in Harrogate 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 Harrogate?
North Yorkshire has 39 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 Harrogate
Worth widening the search to, especially if you drive to work.