Childcare in York
York has 42 day nurseries, 22 pre-schools, 29 school nursery classes, 28 childminders and 30 after-school clubs. Ofsted has inspected 77 of them and rated 74 Good or better, 15 of them Outstanding. 74 have never been inspected, which usually means recently registered. Of those that publish a price, a full day runs from £34 to £75, typically £62. Across York 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 York, 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 29 school nursery classes across York, because nobody publishes how many children they take.
28 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 Wheldrake Out Of School Club Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Opened The Kool Kids Club CIO Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Opened Total Sports @ Manor CE School Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Opened Panda Preschool Playgroup Sessional day care
- Jun 2026Opened Kip McGrath Education Centres York West Full day care
- Jun 2026Opened Total Sports @ Copmanthorpe Primary School Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Opened Total Sports @ Archbishop Holgate's Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Opened Premier Education Clifton Green Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Opened Let's Thrive Full day care
- Jun 2026Closed York Sports Centre Sports Camps Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Closed Wheldrake Out Of School Club Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Closed Manor CE School Sessional day care
What people ask about childcare in York
Answered from the figures on this page, so they stay in step with it.
How much does nursery cost in York?
Of the 14 full-day rates published by settings in York, the typical price is £62 a day, ranging from £34 to £75. These are prices the settings publish themselves, not an average of quotes.
Which nurseries in York take funded hours?
42 of the 151 settings in York 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 Councils do not publish a list of approved providers, so the rest are unknown rather than a no.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 York rated Outstanding?
Yes. 15 of the 77 settings Ofsted has inspected in York hold an Outstanding grade.
Which nurseries in York take babies?
109 settings in York 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 York?
York 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 York
Worth widening the search to, especially if you drive to work.