SEND childcare and early years

All childcare providers must:

• give children with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) the same opportunities as any other child
• not charge more money to look after children with SEND
• make reasonable adjustments so that children with SEND can use their services

Local childcare providers for children aged 0 to 5 with SEND include:

• day nurseries which are registered with Ofsted and offer morning to early evening care that is suitable for working parents, where your child is looked after with a group of children
  
• preschools which are registered with Ofsted and normally follow school hours (for example, 9 am to 3 pm), but some run for longer hours and offer breakfast and after school clubs
  
• nannies who care for your child in your home
  
• childminders who are registered with Ofsted and care for your child in their home, often with a small group of children

Use our directory to find local childcare:

To choose the right childcare, you should ask if a provider has:

• a Disclosure and Disbarring Service (DBS) certificate, and keep a copy for your records
• an Ofsted report, which checks if staff in a childcare setting are suited to working with children

You should also:

• visit the provider before signing up, to make sure their building has the right facilities for your child
• check if the staff are trained to work with children with SEND