The report values the whole childcare sector at 3.79bn, up by a third in four years (see box). Key Note forecast continued buoyancy with growth of 24 per cent by 2009, when the total market is expected to be worth Pounds 5.03bn.
The steady fall in the UK child population, down by 3.4 per cent since 2001, is temporarily being offset by a 'mini baby boom' and demand for childcare from mothers returning to work.
In Scotland there was a 3.9 per cent increase in the number of daycare and pre-school education centres. School-age provision climbed dramatically, with out-of-school clubs growing by 34 per cent, while there was an 18.1 per cent decrease in playgroups.
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