Nurseries & Daycare in Cornwall

Among the 11 Cornwall nurseries on Toddle that publish a day rate, the middle price is £67 a day and most charge £38 to £73; the lowest published rates we list are around Saltash and the highest around Truro.

At £67 a day, a full-time place works out at about £1,450 a month before funded hours, and 7 include meals, for example around Truro and Helston.

Going by Ofsted, the Cornwall nurseries on Toddle rated Outstanding include Little Dolphins Pre-School (Helston), Garras Owlets Preschool (Helston), St Erth Nursery (Hayle), Skylar (Penzance), Bolitho Nursery (Penzance), Flying Start @ Redruth (Redruth) and Happy Days Nursery & Preschool - Penair (Truro). Helston has the most, with 2.

We list 50 nurseries in Cornwall so far, spread over 19 postcode districts, with the biggest groups in Helston, St Austell, Bodmin and St Ives.

29 of the 50 take babies, usually from around 6 months, and Helston and St Austell have the most baby places we list. The other 21 are pre-schools and nurseries for 2 to 5 year olds, mostly around Helston and Hayle.

27 of the 50 open all year round; the 20 that follow term dates are mainly around Helston and Hayle. For early drop-offs or late pick-ups, the nurseries with extended hours are mostly around Helston and St Austell.

Places for younger children are under the greatest pressure. Cornwall Council's latest Childcare Sufficiency Report found that 71.2% of surveyed providers had waiting lists and that the largest unmet demand was for children under 2.

The council projected demand for 1,363 full time equivalent funded places for children aged 9 to 23 months in autumn 2025 against an estimated supply of 1,007, a countywide shortfall of 356 places.

Parents needing baby childcare should contact nurseries well before their planned start date, especially when they need fixed full working days.

Cornwall Council's 2025 projections identified particularly large shortfalls in Newquay, Camborne and Redruth, Falmouth and Penryn, Truro and Roseland, Saltash and Torpoint, St Austell and Mevagissey, and Liskeard and Looe.

For children aged 9 to 23 months, the projected shortfalls included 53 full time equivalent places in Newquay, 40 in Camborne and Redruth, 29 in Falmouth and Penryn, 29 in Truro and Roseland, 28 in Saltash and Torpoint, 28 in St Austell and Mevagissey and 26 in Liskeard and Looe.

Cornwall Council states that a provider must not charge a deposit or registration fee to secure a funded childcare place.

Providers can charge for additional hours and optional items such as meals, nappies, wipes, sun cream and trips, but parents must have an alternative that allows them to access the funded place without being forced to buy those extras.

Cornwall has a dedicated Early Years Inclusion and SEND Team for children aged 0 to 5. The team supports children in homes, preschools and schools and provides specialist teaching, advice, individual support and help with transitions.

Referrals can be made by parents, early years settings, health professionals, Speech and Language Therapists and other SEND services.