Childminders across Scotland

How childminders across Scotland are graded

Each service's lowest key-question grade, from the Care Inspectorate (6 is Excellent, 1 is Unsatisfactory). 2,067 of 2,419 have published grades; the rest have not been graded yet.

• Excellent (6) 19
• Very good (5) 674
• Good (4) 1,229
• Adequate (3) 130
• Weak (2) 15
• Unsatisfactory (1) 0

Childminders across Scotland

See all 2,419 in the directory, with filters and search →

Premium and Featured listings are promoted placements (the provider pays, or occasionally we give a plan) and appear first. They never change a grade.

Where childminders are based

Glasgow 324 Edinburgh 126 Aberdeen 106 Dundee 78 Dunfermline 64 Kilmarnock 62 Falkirk 54 Inverness 49 Livingston 47 Bathgate 41 Motherwell 39 Elgin 34 Stirling 32 Glenrothes 30

Common questions

How many childminders are there across Scotland?

There are 2,419 registered with the Care Inspectorate and listed here (data as at 30 September 2026). The same address can hold more than one registration, so this is a count of registrations, not buildings.

How are childminders across Scotland graded?

The Care Inspectorate grades each service from 1 (Unsatisfactory) to 6 (Excellent) on several key questions. 2,067 of these have published grades. For 1,922 of them the lowest grade is Good (4) or better, and for 15 it is Weak (2) or Unsatisfactory (1). A service with no grade has not been graded yet, which is common for new registrations.

How recently have they been inspected?

535 of the 2,419 were graded in the last 12 months. Each service page shows the date, because a grade describes the service on the day it was inspected.

How do I choose one?

Use the grades as a starting point, not a verdict: read the latest inspection report on the Care Inspectorate's own page for each service, visit if you can, and ask the questions that matter to you. Your council's social work department or health and social care partnership can also help. We do not recommend any one service.

Browse by council area

Fife 214 Aberdeenshire 187 North Lanarkshire 155 City of Edinburgh 153 South Lanarkshire 138 West Lothian 129 Falkirk 121 Highland 118 North Ayrshire 94 East Ayrshire 91 Glasgow City 91 Aberdeen City 88 Moray 76 Perth & Kinross 66 Angus 65 East Lothian 65 Dumfries & Galloway 63 Dundee City 58 East Dunbartonshire 54 East Renfrewshire 52 Stirling 50 Scottish Borders 44 South Ayrshire 42 Argyll & Bute 40 Renfrewshire 40 Midlothian 38 Inverclyde 22 Clackmannanshire 19 Orkney Islands 18 West Dunbartonshire 18 Na h-Eileanan Siar 6 Shetland Islands 4