Day nurseries (full day care) provide care for children from birth to five years and are registered and inspected by Ofsted, following the Early Years Foundation Stage framework. Day nurseries offer four or more hours per day, operate from non-domestic premises and can include private, community, council or workplace nurseries. They usually offer part or full-time places and children can be grouped by age and stage of development. Some nurseries may also offer before/after school and holiday care for children of school age.
Day nurseries are staffed by qualified and experienced people - managers and room leaders must be qualified to a Level 3 childcare qualification and 50% of the other staff must hold relevant Level 2 qualifications. There are staff ratios that must be in place. As part of the Ofsted registration process all staff will have to be checked for their suitability to work with children. Most day nurseries are registered to deliver free places for three and four year olds.
For more information, visit the NDNA website. NDNA stands for National Day Nurseries Association.