From
£110/day
Queens Baby Nursery
Queens House, Queens Road, Buckhurst Hill, Essex IG9 5BX, United Kingdom
Curiosity Approach Capacity 27 Limited spaces
County childcare guide
Nurseries & Daycare in Essex
Toddle lists 11 nurseries across Essex, in Chelmsford, Colchester, Billericay, Maldon, Buckhurst Hill, Loughton and South Ockendon. Ofsted rates Queens Baby Nursery in Buckhurst Hill Outstanding, and 7 more Good.
All 11 are open all year round and 10 take babies. Of those that publish a day rate, a typical full day costs around £86, and 10 accept the 30 funded hours.
Essex County Council runs funded childcare for most of the county, while Southend and Thurrock have their own councils. Ask Doddle above about nurseries near Billericay and Buckhurst Hill, or pick a town below.
How much is nursery in Essex, and where are they?
A full day at a nursery in Essex typically costs about £86, or around £1,860 a month full-time before funded hours. The most are in Billericay and Buckhurst Hill, and 10 take babies from 6 months. All 11 are open all year round rather than term time only.Checked 4 Nov 2026
Source: Ofsted inspection reports and the fees and details each nursery publishes.
Childcare numbers for Essex
Daily fees range
Per day
£40–£110
Outstanding nurseries
9% of nurseries
1
Funded childcare
91% offer funding
10
Total nurseries
Across Essex
11
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Top nurseries
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Showing 1–3 of 11 selected nursery listings · 11 total in this area.
From
£92/day
Bright Horizons Teddies Loughton Day Nursery and Preschool
Willingdale Road, Loughton IG10 2BQ, United Kingdom
Bright Beginning Capacity 56 Spaces available
From
£61/day
Explorers Aveley
Aveley Community Hub, High Street, South Ockendon, RM15 4BY, United Kingdom
Forest School Capacity 30 Spaces available
From
£40/day
Just Imagine Maldon Day Nursery
All Saints' C of E Primary School, Highlands Drive, Maldon, CM9 6HY, United Kingdom
Play-based Capacity 32 Waiting list
From
£80/day
Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery Billericay
50 Chapel Street, Billericay, Essex CM12 9LU, United Kingdom
Play-based Capacity 55 Spaces available
From
£110/day
Purple Lion Day Nurseries Buckhurst Hill
Queens House, Queens Road, Buckhurst Hill, Essex IG9 5BX, United Kingdom
Curiosity Approach Capacity 70 Limited spaces
From
£42/day
Wivenhoe Park Day Nursery
Wivenhoe Park Day Nursery, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester, CO4 3SQ, United Kingdom
Forest School Capacity 132 Limited spaces
Area avg from
£95/day*
Burstead Bears Day Nursery Billericay
Guildprime Business Centre, Southend Road, Billericay, Essex CM11 2PZ, United Kingdom
Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum Capacity 37 Spaces available
From
£92/day
kinderzimmer Chelmsford
140 Mildmay Road, Chelmsford, Essex CM2 0EB, United Kingdom
Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum Capacity 84 Spaces available
Area avg from
£72/day*
The Bloom Childcare Group Bradfield
The Bloom Childcare Group, Heath Road, Bradfield, Manningtree, CO11 2UZ
In the Moment Planning Capacity 23 Limited spaces
Area avg from
£42/day*
The Bloom Childcare Group Lexden
The Bloom Childcare Group, King George V Pavilion, Clairmont Rd, Colchester, CO3 9BE
In the Moment Planning Capacity 32 Limited spaces
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By town
Nurseries by town in Essex
Looking for a nursery near Billericay, Buckhurst Hill or elsewhere in Essex? Pick a town and Doddle will show the nurseries there.
Types of childcare
Types of nursery in Essex
Looking for a baby nursery, a private day nursery or a pre-school near you in Essex? Here is how many of each we list, from the 11 nurseries on this page. Ask Doddle above for the ones that suit your child.
- 10Baby nurseriesTake babies, usually from 6 months
- 11Day nurseries open all yearFull days, all year round, for working parents
- 1Pre-schools and nursery schoolsFor 2 to 5 year olds, often term time
- 2Forest school nurseriesMuch of the day spent outdoors
- 1Rated OutstandingOfsted's top grade
- 10Offer funded hours15 or 30 funded hours
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Nursery cost calculator
What will nursery cost in Essex?
Answer four quick questions. You'll see your monthly cost straight away.
1When was your child born?
Age: 2 yearsFree hours are available.
2Are you working?
Each working parent needs to earn at least £2,643.68 over 3 months, and under £100,000 a year.
3How much time at nursery?
Days a week
5
Hours a day
10
4What does the nursery charge?
About £78 a day for 10 hours. All-ages average from 8 nurseries with prices on Toddle in Essex
You'd pay about
£949a month
£11,388 a year after your free hours
- Nursery fees
- £1,690
- Free hours (30 a week)
- −£741
- You pay
- £949
Doesn't include meals, nappies or trips. Most nurseries charge for these separately.
You could get 30 free hours a week.
They end when your child starts reception, around September 2029.
Why isn't it lower in the holidays?
38 weeks free hours: £156/wk 14 weeks full fee: £390/wk
Free hours cover 38 term-time weeks. Many nurseries can spread them across the year instead. Ask yours.
Only going term time? Your cost will be lower. Ask your nursery for their term dates.
Estimate only. England. Based on GOV.UK figures, checked 20 October 2026.
Funded childcare guide
How to Apply for Funded Childcare in Essex?
The nursery postcode districts represented on this page map to these official local authorities. Choose your council below; your home postcode determines which one handles your application.
Visit Essex County CouncilPostcodes: CM2–CM12 · CO3–CO11 · IG9–IG10
Visit Thurrock CouncilPostcodes: RM15
Helpful answers
Nursery questions in Essex
How much are nursery fees in Essex?
Among the 8 Essex nurseries on Toddle that publish a day rate, the middle price is £86 a day and most charge £47 to £106; the lowest published rates we list are around Maldon and the highest around Buckhurst Hill.
At £86 a day, a full-time place works out at about £1,860 a month before funded hours, and 11 include meals, for example around Billericay and Buckhurst Hill.
What are the best nurseries in Essex?
Going by Ofsted, Queens Baby Nursery in Buckhurst Hill is the Essex nursery we list rated Outstanding. 7 more are rated Good, and Kinderzimmer Chelmsford is newer and not yet inspected.
How many nurseries are there in Essex?
We list 11 nurseries in Essex so far, spread over 10 postcode districts, with the biggest groups in Billericay and Buckhurst Hill.
Which Essex nurseries take babies?
10 of the 11 take babies, usually from around 6 months, and Billericay and Buckhurst Hill have the most baby places we list. The other one, Just Imagine Maldon Day Nursery in Maldon, is for 2 to 5 year olds.
Are Essex nurseries open all year round?
All 11 we list in Essex open all year round. Each nursery's page shows its opening hours, so you can check early drop-off and late pick-up times before you visit.
When does funded childcare start in Essex after my child turns 9 months?
Essex uses three term-based start points. A child reaching 9 months between 1 January and 31 March can start from April; between 1 April and 31 August from September; and between 1 September and 31 December from January. The working-parent code must be approved before the relevant term and is valid for three months before eligibility needs reconfirming.
How can 30 funded hours be used at an Essex nursery?
Essex allows funded childcare over a minimum of 2 and maximum of 5 days each week, with no more than 10 funded hours per day. Hours can be offered between 6am and 8pm and used over 38 weeks or stretched proportionately across as many as 52 weeks where the nursery offers that pattern.
How is early-years SEND support organised across Essex?
Essex divides its education and social-care SEND services geographically. Mid Essex covers Chelmsford and Maldon; South Essex covers Basildon, Brentwood, Castle Point and Rochford; North East Essex covers Colchester and Tendring; and West Essex covers Epping Forest, Harlow and Uttlesford. Southend and Thurrock are outside the Essex County Council SEND system.
Are Southend and Thurrock included when comparing Essex nurseries?
They are geographically within the wider county of Essex but not within the Essex County Council administrative area. Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock are unitary authorities and manage their own education, childcare and SEND services, so ToddleKids should treat them separately from the main Essex nursery area.
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