childcare

childcare — noun

1. the service of watching over and caring for young children while their parents h

1.nounB1
Definition

the service of watching over and caring for young children while their parents have jobs or other daytime commitments, usually done by trained carers, nurseries, or relatives

Example

The hospital provides free childcare for nurses on overnight rotation.

collocation: free childcare

After Yara lost her job, she could no longer afford the childcare fees.

collocation: childcare fees

Common collocations
  • childcare provider
  • childcare centre
  • childcare services
  • childcare costs / fees
  • childcare arrangements
  • childcare options
  • free / affordable / subsidised childcare
Synonyms
  • babysitting

    usually one-off or short-term care in the child's home; less formal than childcare

  • daycare

    more common in American English; often refers to centre-based care during working hours

  • nursery

    a school-like setting with educational activities, typically for preschool children

  • childminding

    UK term for care provided by a registered person in their own home

Usage Note

Uncountable noun, so it is not used with the indefinite article 'a' (❌ 'a childcare'). Frequent modifiers include 'free', 'affordable', 'good-quality'. In British English, 'childminder' refers to someone who looks after other people's children in their own home.

Common Mistakes

We need a good childcare near our house.
We need good childcare near our house.
childcare is uncountable; drop the article or say 'a good childcare centre/provider.'
My mother helps with childcare for my elderly father.
My mother helps with childcare for my children.
childcare refers specifically to looking after children, not adults.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Childcare is the broadest term, covering any organised care of children while parents are absent — at a centre, a nursery, or in someone's home. Babysitting is casual, short-term care (often evenings) and does not imply formal registration or training. Daycare, common in American English, typically refers to centre-based care during standard work hours and may include educational activities. Nursery suggests a more structured, preschool-like setting with a learning curriculum. Childminding (chiefly British) describes a registered individual who looks after a small group of children in their own home. For everyday use: 'I need childcare for Wednesday' sounds natural; 'I need babysitting for Wednesday' suggests a few hours, not a full workday.

childcare ↗babysittingdaycarenursery ↗childminding

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • access to childcare
  • childcare provision
  • out-of-school childcare
  • childcare voucher
  • tax-free childcare

Prepositions

  • for (childcare for toddlers)
  • in (in childcare)
  • out of (out-of-school childcare)

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Compound of child (from Old English cild, meaning 'fetus, infant, or unborn young') and care (from Old English caru, cearu, meaning 'sorrow, anxiety, or serious attention'). The combined term child-care (with a hyphen) appeared in the early 20th century as industrial societies began to formalise non-parental supervision of young children through nurseries and registered carers. The hyphen was gradually dropped in the mid-1900s.