The Family Information Directory, which provides details of more than 192,000 nurseries, childminders, after-school clubs and children's centres, was developed and managed by the DfE under a three-year contract.
It was introduced in 2009 as Parent Know How, a comprehensive source of registered childcare and family services information, before it was rebranded as the Family Information Directory last year (News, 4 February 2010).
Users will continue to be able to access information from local authority websites, DirectGov, libraries, children's centres and a range of third and private sector websites. The DfE is also releasing the software for organisations to develop their own version.
The Daycare Trust has voiced concern at the closure of the Family Information Directory, saying it will be detrimental to both families and childcare businesses. Anand Shukla, (pictured), acting chief executive of the Daycare Trust said, 'The Directory website receives 40,000 hits a day. Over 16,000 childcare professionals post information on the site, providing parents with up-to-date childcare information. The site helps childcare businesses and parents find each other.
'While we understand the financial pressures facing the Government, we suggest the site should stay open for a few months at least, to allow someone to take it over.'
Claire Schofield, director of membership, policy and communications at the National Day Nurseries Association, (pictured), said, 'The closure of the Family Information Directory means that nurseries will have to make sure they are visible to parents. Local authorities still have a duty to provide information to parents, so settings need to make sure that all the information held on them is accurate.
'It is also worth checking that the nursery website appears in Google searches and that settings make use of services such as NDNA's Find A Nursery section. It is crucial that nurseries have a good marketing strategy in place that raises their profile among prospective parents.'
