Early years and childcare: guidance for providers - GOV.UK

Early years and childcare: guidance for providers - GOV.UK
Cookies on GOV.UK
We use some essential cookies to make this website work.
We’d like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services.
We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services.
You have accepted additional cookies.
You can
change your cookie settings
at any time.
You have rejected additional cookies.
You can
change your cookie settings
at any time.
View cookies
Skip to main content
Collection
Early years and childcare: guidance for providers
Information for early years providers, childminders and nurseries including guidance on the early years foundation stage (EYFS), funding, training and qualifications.
From:
Department for Education
Published
1 September 2023
Last updated
16 April 2026

See all updates
Early learning and childcare
Early education and childcare
1 April 2026
Statutory guidance
Supervision of activity with children
10 September 2012
Statutory guidance
Sure Start children's centres: guidance for local authorities
15 April 2013
Statutory guidance
SEND: guide for early years settings
5 September 2014
Guidance
Getting children ready for reception: supporting effective transition
16 April 2026
Guidance
Early years foundation stage
Early years foundation stage
Early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework
1 September 2025
Statutory guidance
Early years foundation stage profile handbook
9 September 2025
Guidance
Progress check at age 2
11 May 2022
Guidance
Development Matters
4 September 2023
Guidance
Providing childcare
Become a childminder or nanny (England)
Register as a childminder agency in England
Sign up to Tax-Free Childcare if you’re a childcare provider
21 October 2024
Guidance
Sign in to your childcare provider account for Tax-Free Childcare
21 October 2024
Guidance
30 hours free childcare: local authority and early years provider guide
21 February 2025
Guidance
Free early years provision and childcare: model agreement
9 February 2026
Guidance
Early years qualifications and training
Check an early years qualification
23 December 2025
Guidance
Early years qualifications list: UK only
23 December 2025
Guidance
Early years qualifications achieved outside the UK
20 March 2025
Guidance
Experience-based route for early years staff
1 January 2026
Guidance
Early years qualifications that do not meet the criteria
10 February 2022
Guidance
Early years teachers' standards
11 July 2013
Guidance
Early years initial teacher training (ITT): a guide for employers
23 October 2024
Guidance
Early years initial teacher training: 2025 to 2026 funding guidance
23 October 2024
Guidance
Pathway into early years education
10 February 2022
Guidance
Inspection of early years and childcare providers
Being inspected as a childminder or childcare provider
Updates to this page
Published 1 September 2023
Last updated 16 April 2026
+
show all updates
16 April 2026
Added 'Getting children ready for reception: supporting effective transition' to the 'Early learning and childcare' section.
20 March 2025
Added section on early years qualifications and training including links to check an early years qualification and the early years qualification list.
1 September 2023
First published.
Contents
Is this page useful?
Maybe
Thank you for your feedback
Help us improve GOV.UK
To help us improve GOV.UK, we’d like to know more about your visit today.
Please fill in this survey (opens in a new tab
)
.