Childcare in Sunderland

There are a number of options when choosing childcare including:

• Day nurseries
• Childminders
• Parent & toddler groups
• Playgroups
• LEA nursery school or class
• Breakfast clubs
• Out of school clubs
• Holiday schemes
• Youth clubs

For an informative guide to each of these options, and information about choosing and paying for childcare click here (165k pdf).

The Children’s Information Service (CIS)
The Children’s Information Service is a service for parents, carers, children and employers in Sunderland, Washington, Houghton-le-Spring and Hetton-le-Hole. Their aim is to make the process of finding childcare easier, and to provide other information including opportunities for children to participate in education, leisure and sporting activities.

This is a free service to all. CIS can be contacted by telephone Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm on 0191 553 5678,
or by e-mail at ciss@sunderland.gov.uk or you can visit the website www.childcarelink.gov.uk and search for childcare yourself. If you can’t find what you are looking for here, contact CIS for more information.

Additional support for disabled children
Some disabled children may need additional support to be able to use certain types of childcare such as Out of School Clubs, holiday schemes and youth clubs. If this is the case for your child, contact Services for Disabled Children Duty Social Worker who will be able to advise you on the types of support which may be available to help your child attend. For more information contact:

Tel: 0191 566 2190
E-mail: child.disability@ssd.sunderland.gov.uk

Social Services Nursery Centres
Social Services nursery centres provide day care for children aged 21 months to 4 years, and for younger children in exceptional circumstances. They also provide crèche care for children aged 0-4 to support parent activities, such as groups and courses in the nursery. Nurseries also offer parent support activities and home visiting. Social Services work closely with Education and other agencies to meet the needs of children who need additional support or have particular needs or disabilities. They actively promote the inclusion of disabled children and children with additional needs in nursery. Your health visitor or social worker can assess your child for a nursery place, and a referral can be made following this assessment. The referral is then submitted to an Allocation Panel and places are allocated based on greatest need. For more information click here (234k pdf) or contact

Elizabeth Clarke
Nurseries and Projects Manager
Tel: 0191 553 5635.

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