Childcare in Preston
Preston has 86 day nurseries, 12 pre-schools, 64 school nursery classes, 45 childminders and 40 after-school clubs. Ofsted has inspected 114 of them and rated 109 Good or better, 17 of them Outstanding. 133 have never been inspected, which usually means recently registered. Of those that publish a price, a full day runs from £38 to £73, typically £60. Across Lancashire there are 38 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 Lancashire, 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 227 school nursery classes across Lancashire, because nobody publishes how many children they take.
86 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.
- Jun 2026Opened Tree Tots Nursery Kirkham Full day care
- Jun 2026Opened The Little Village Nursery Full day care
- Jun 2026Opened LearnActive NW - Hillside Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Opened FUNDA Sports, Physical Activity Holiday Camps & Childcare Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Opened PALS-Preston Grange Primary School Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Opened Brilliant Minds Preston (Lytham) Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Opened FUNDA Sports, Physical Activity Holiday Camps & Childcare Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Opened School House Nursery Sessional day care
- Jun 2026Closed PGL Winmarleigh Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Closed Mad Science at Fulwood and Cadley Primary School Sessional day care
- Jun 2026Closed The Play Stop LTD Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Closed Include Me 2 Farringdon Park Out-of-school day care
What people ask about childcare in Preston
Answered from the figures on this page, so they stay in step with it.
How much does nursery cost in Preston?
Of the 21 full-day rates published by settings in Preston, the typical price is £60 a day, ranging from £38 to £73. These are prices the settings publish themselves, not an average of quotes.
Which nurseries in Preston take funded hours?
81 of the 247 settings in Preston 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 Councils do not publish a list of approved providers, so the rest are unknown rather than a no.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 Preston rated Outstanding?
Yes. 17 of the 114 settings Ofsted has inspected in Preston hold an Outstanding grade.
Which nurseries in Preston take babies?
169 settings in Preston 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 Preston?
Lancashire has 38 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 Preston
Worth widening the search to, especially if you drive to work.