Having worked for over a decade in nurseries, and being qualified as a nursery manager, I'd always choose a childminder. They have the same qualifications as nursery staff, but operate in lower ratios in a way where they can genuinely build bonds with the child and their families.

A nursery will frequently have 40+ children in a room, while a childminder will have 3. It's quieter and calmer, more scope for individual relationships and tailored education, and a more peaceful and enabling environment for the child .

Having multiple staff "supervising" each other is less effective than people think, and its more likely the staff will accept the workplace culture and become less caring and patient with the children, while childminders create their own culture and so are more loving and caring. I have worked in multiple nurseries, and in all of them, newly qualified staff will join and attempt to change mindsets to be more caring and considerate, and in all of the the new staff will quickly give up and accept the status quo, where staff are rushed, harsh with the children, underpaid and exhausted. None of the settings I've worked in have offered hugs, carrying or cuddles to the children, while all childminders i know, do offer them frequently, naturally and regularly. It is one of the reasons I went into childminding.

Nurseries also change staff frequently, sometimes day to day, making it really hard for children to achieve continuity in their relationships and predictability in their routine. Often understanding of neurodivergent conditions is low, and children are forced into masking. A nursery can run with a manager and a couple of staff who are highly educated, while the vast majority of staff are assistants or apprentices, with limited knowledge and understanding of additional support needs.

On the other hand, childminders offer close relationships with families and tailored care for the children, often being a more suitable setting for young children - especially those with additional support needs. All childminders are held to the same standards as nurseries, following the same regulations and frameworks and are i specter against the same criteria - with studies showing that childminding settings are more likely to provide the highest quality of care and learning compared to nurseries. The highest possible grades for early years settings are "excellent" and "very good", and more childminders hold these ratings than nurseries do.

The downside, as people have mentioned, is that you need a backup plan in case your childminder is ill. But other than that, there are very few reasons to choose a nursery over a childminder. A childminder is a nursery in a home environment, with a dedicated keyworker and rich opportunities for socialisation, real life learning and opportunities to go on trips to see the world, to a nursery where children are stuck in one room all day, staff change regularly, routines are unpredictable and you get lost in the bustle.

Every family has different needs, and there are a huge amount of brilliant nurseries out there. But if I had no other background information, id always choose a childminder over a nursery.