Plan your nursery with clearer numbers, not guesswork
Use these free and premium nursery calculators to estimate ratios, space, capacity, earnings, funded fees and cost of delivery before making bigger decisions about your nursery.
- Built for people opening or running nurseries in England
- Useful before committing to a building, fees or staffing model
- Start with the free calculators, then upgrade when you need more control
- Bundle the premium calculators together if you want better value
Start with the free calculators first
These tools are useful when you want a quick estimate. They help you understand one part of your nursery plan before moving on to a more detailed premium calculator or bundle.
Nursery Ratio Calculator
Estimate the minimum number of staff you may need for different age groups using the England EYFS ratio rules.
- Separate estimates for under-twos, two-year-olds and three to five-year-olds
- Useful for quick room planning and staffing checks
- Good starting point before creating a fuller room-by-room plan
Ofsted Nursery Space Requirements Calculator
Estimate how much usable indoor child space may be needed for your planned number of children.
- Works with square metres and square feet
- Helps you separate child-use space from wider building space
- Useful before assuming a building is big enough
Free Automatic Nursery Earnings Calculator
Get a quick nursery income, expense and profit estimate using simple assumptions.
- Useful for a fast first look at possible nursery earnings
- Helps you think about income, costs and occupancy
- Best used as an early estimate before a fuller forecast
Nursery Funding Fee Calculator
Explore how funded hours may affect what parents pay across common attendance patterns.
- Useful for 15-hour, 30-hour and stretched funding examples
- Helps explain basic funded fee patterns
- Good starting point before modelling your own full fee structure
Nursery Cost of Delivery Calculator
Estimate what it may cost to deliver childcare per child per hour, then compare that against your fees, funding assumptions and age-group mix.
- Useful when checking whether fees and funding rates look realistic
- Helps compare under-twos, two-year-olds and three-plus children
- Good starting point before using the premium calculator to save, export and compare scenarios
Upgrade when you need more control over the assumptions
The premium calculators are for when you want to test your own numbers, save or compare scenarios and get a more useful planning estimate than a basic free calculation.
Premium Nursery Capacity & Staffing Planner
Build a clearer room-by-room plan by checking usable space, child numbers, age groups and staffing needs together.
- Plan multiple nursery rooms
- Check space and estimated capacity
- Useful when reviewing a nursery building
Premium Nursery Cost of Delivery Calculator
Estimate what it may cost to deliver childcare across each age group and compare this against your fees and funding assumptions.
- Age-group cost comparisons
- Funding gap and delivery-cost estimates
- Save, download and compare scenarios
Premium Nursery Earnings Calculator
Estimate nursery income, staffing costs, operating costs and potential profit using assumptions you can adjust.
- Edit age mix, fees and income
- Adjust staffing and operating costs
- Compare different scenarios
Premium Nursery Funding Fee Calculator
Model parent fees after funded hours using your own sessions, package prices, funding pattern and optional charges.
- Edit 1 to 5-day package prices
- Use full, half or custom sessions
- Compare term-time and stretched funding
Save by choosing the bundle that fits your stage
The bundles are designed around real planning situations: setting fees, reviewing a building or wanting the full toolkit in one place.
Nursery Fees & Earnings Calculator Bundle
Best if you want to plan parent fees, funded hours, nursery income and estimated profit together.
- Premium Funding Fee Calculator
- Premium Nursery Earnings Calculator
- Useful when reviewing fees and funded places
Building & Financial Planning Bundle
Best if you are reviewing a potential nursery building and want to check capacity and delivery costs before committing.
- Premium Nursery Space / Capacity Calculator
- Premium Cost of Delivery Calculator
- Useful before signing a lease or spending on plans
Complete Nursery Calculator Toolkit
Best if you want access to every premium nursery calculator instead of choosing one smaller bundle.
- Funding Fee Calculator
- Earnings Calculator
- Space / Capacity Calculator
- Cost of Delivery Calculator
Use the calculator that matches the decision you are making
A calculator is most helpful when you use it for the right question. If you are only checking basic ratios, start free. If you are reviewing a building, setting fees, checking delivery cost or preparing a business model, the premium tools will usually give you more useful answers.
Do not rely on one calculator result on its own. A nursery can look strong from a capacity point of view but weak financially. It can also look profitable on income but risky once staffing, occupancy, rent, funding assumptions and delivery costs are added.
Turn your calculator results into a clearer nursery plan
The calculators help you test the numbers. These free resources help you organise your research and work out what to do next.
Nursery Opening Checklist
Review the key areas involved in opening a nursery, including location, buildings, finance, Ofsted, staffing and marketing.
Get the free checklist →Find a Nursery Building Guide
Learn what to check before falling in love with a building, including use class, space, layout, safety and practical suitability.
Read the building guide →Nursery Business Plan Template
Put your nursery idea, target market, property thinking, staffing plan, fees and financial assumptions into one document.
Download the template →Free YouTube Guidance
Watch practical videos about opening a nursery, finding a building, Ofsted registration, costs, funding and nursery-owner stories.
Visit YouTube →Use the numbers to make better nursery decisions
The calculators are useful planning tools, but they work best when combined with proper guidance, local research and a clear opening plan.
Open a Nursery in 6 Months
Use the course if you want structured guidance through research, buildings, funding, Ofsted, staffing, marketing and opening your nursery.
View the course →Nursery Business Mentorship
Use mentorship if you want accountability, support with decisions and someone to review your nursery plans, property thinking and figures.
View mentorship →Book a Consultation
Bring your calculator results, property details, figures or questions to a consultation before making an important decision.
Book a consultation →Using the nursery calculators
Are the nursery calculators free?
Some calculators are free to use and are designed for quick estimates. The premium calculators give you more control, more detailed assumptions and ongoing access through your account.
Which calculator should I use first?
If you are at the idea stage, start with the free earnings calculator and nursery opening checklist. If you have found a building, start with the space calculator and capacity planner. If you are setting fees, start with the funding fee calculator. If you are checking whether fees and funding cover your real delivery costs, use the cost of delivery calculator.
What does a nursery cost of delivery calculator do?
It helps estimate the cost of delivering childcare per child per hour. This can be useful when comparing funding rates, private fees, staffing costs, rent, age-group mix and the wider cost pressure in your nursery model.
Can the calculators confirm whether my nursery will be profitable?
No. They provide planning estimates based on the information entered. Profitability depends on your real occupancy, fees, funding rates, wages, rent, staffing model, opening hours and operating costs.
Can the space calculator confirm my Ofsted capacity?
No. It helps estimate usable indoor child space. Final capacity can also be affected by layout, toilets, supervision, staffing, safety, planning, fire requirements and Ofsted’s assessment of the premises.
Should I buy an individual premium calculator or a bundle?
Buy one calculator if you only need one specific answer. Choose a bundle if the decision is connected. For example, fees and earnings work well together, while building capacity and cost of delivery work well together. The Complete Nursery Calculator Toolkit is best if you want all four premium calculators.
Do these calculators replace professional advice?
No. The calculators are planning tools. They do not replace legal, financial, accountancy, tax, planning, local authority, funding or Ofsted advice.
Choose the calculator or bundle that matches your next decision
Start with the free tools, then use the premium calculators when you need to model your own assumptions, compare scenarios and review your nursery plan more seriously.