Nurseries in New Forest
The New Forest district covers a large area of protected woodland, villages and coastal towns including Lyndhurst, Lymington, Totton, Hythe, New Milton and Ringwood. It is popular with families seeking outdoor lifestyles, with nurseries often making strong use of forest schools, nature play and beach access.
Parents in New Forest typically pay £73 per day for childcare, which is slightly 3% lower than the UK average.
- Average Daily Cost
- £73
- Comparison
- -3% vs UK Average
- Total Capacity
- 2,530 places
Nurseries near you in New Forest
Frequently Asked Questions
Private nurseries in the New Forest typically welcome children from 3 months old. School and council nurseries usually offer funded places from age 2 or 3, depending on eligibility and local capacity.
Across England all 3 and 4 year olds receive 15 funded hours per week with many working families eligible for up to 30 hours. Some 2 year olds also qualify based on household circumstances, and eligible working parents of children from 9 months old may access funded childcare. Tax Free Childcare provides a 20 percent government top up to help with nursery costs.
Nursery fees in the New Forest generally range from £60–£130 per day, with higher prices in coastal towns such as Lymington and in settings offering specialist outdoor or forest school provision.
All nurseries in the New Forest are regulated by Ofsted, with early years funding administered by Hampshire County Council.
Ask how often children access the forest or beach, what happens in bad weather, how funded hours are scheduled across the week, and what communication you can expect as a parent.
Applying for funding
New Forest is covered by Hampshire County Council, the local authority for this area. Visit their website to apply for early years funding.
Apply for funding on the Hampshire County Council website
