Information for childcare providers

Funding information

Tax free childcare payments

Find out how you can receive tax-free childcare payments from your customers, as well as information about funded childcare places, on the Best Start in Life website.

Early years funding

Access the provider portal to update your details, enter headcount funding information and sufficiency data:

Access the portal

Working in childcare

Childminders

Find out about becoming a childminder in North Yorkshire.

Early years qualifications and job opportunities

For information on starting a career in childcare and getting approved qualifications visit the Early Years Careers GOV.UK website.

Find out about the different types of roles available in early years and search for local childcare job vacancies.

Check an early years qualification

Early years managers can now use the new Check an early years qualification digital service on the GOV.UK website to quickly verify whether staff qualifications meet the requirements for staff to child ratios in England. This free tool allows managers to check a qualification’s approval status. At the end of the process, a clear outcome is provided which can be printed for your records. 

The service is tailored specifically for early years managers. All other user groups, for example practitioners should continue to use the Early years qualifications list to check qualifications, and contact the Department for Education's supplier Ecctis if you are unable to find the qualification on the Early years qualification list.

The Check an early years qualification service is for qualifications achieved in the UK. Holders of non-UK qualifications should continue to contact Ecctis for an assessment. 

If you need help using the service you can contact the Department for Education directly.

Finding or advertising a job in early years

If you are looking for a job in childcare or if you are an early years provider with a vacancy to advertise, visit the government’s Do Something Big website. You can search for current job opportunities or post your own vacancies to reach qualified candidates.

Childcare market and sufficiency assessments

North Yorkshire Council's services for young children produce a childcare market sufficiency assessment each year. 

This report shows how we are meeting our statutory duty to secure sufficient childcare, and identifies areas in North Yorkshire which may have a shortage in childcare places. The report also provides the following information about changes in the childcare market:

• different types of childcare available
• new provisions
• closed provisions
• proposed developments
• key local information that could affect the childcare market
• early years education take up

Our sufficiency team will support providers to develop provision/ offer additional places where demand is identified.

Read the 2023 and 2022 childcare sufficiency assessment reports

Contact us for further information about the sufficiency assessment reports.

Childcare Works toolkits

The Childcare Works toolkits provide a range of information selected by experts to help start, grow and strengthen childcare provision. As well as providing specific information about operating childcare provision, the toolkits contain general information to help businesses, childminders and charities with marketing, HR, leadership and management, partnership working and more.

Content is organised into six topics:

• business planning
• business growth
• running of your childcare provision
• leadership and management
• partnership working
• SEND and inclusive practice

Access the Wraparound Toolkit

Access the Early Years Toolkit

Further information

You can find information for early years and childcare providers here.