• Find an early years and childcare inspection report
• Understanding an early years and childcare inspection report
• Types of early years and childcare Ofsted inspects
• Inspecting registered early years and childcare
• Types of early years and childcare Ofsted regulates
• Regulating early years and childcare; applying to be a provider
  • About the two early years and childcare registers
• Childcare complaints commitment
• Children's centres
• About our survey reports
• How to complain

Regulating early years and childcare; applying to be a provider

Reassuring parents and carers that the early years and childcare provision they choose for their children is suitable is very important.

To do this, we register and inspect those who provide early years provision and childcare for children aged from birth up to their 18th birthday.

We register providers on two registers.

• The Early Years Register
• The Childcare Register

A prospective provider can apply to join one register or both registers at the same time; or they can apply to the two registers separately if they wish. Deciding which register to apply to depends on:

• the ages of the children that will be cared for
• the premises where they will be providing care
• the type of care that they will be providing.