How many nurseries email addresses we hold
The list covers early-years settings across the UK: private day nurseries (single sites and groups), nursery schools, nursery classes attached to schools, and pre-schools and playgroups, many of which meet in church halls or community centres and run during term time only. Named contact emails mostly belong to nursery owners, managers and, in groups, area managers. Company emails are the setting's own inbox, which parents use for enquiries, waiting lists and invoices. Childminders working from home are a separate category and are not included in these figures.
| Email data | Count |
|---|---|
| Named contact email addresses (a person's own work email) | 6,322 |
| General company email addresses (info@, office@ and similar) | 2,527 |
| Named contacts (with or without an email) | 12,442 |
| Nurseries on our database | 13,586 |
Some businesses have both a named contact email and a company email, so the two figures overlap. Your free count shows exactly how many nurseries you can reach by email for the area and job titles you choose.
Add other childcare providers
Other childcare and early-years categories are kept separately, so you can widen your list or leave them out:
| Category | Named contact emails | Company emails | Businesses on file |
|---|---|---|---|
| Childcare services | 263 | 161 | 682 |
| After-school care | 146 | 63 | 404 |
| Creches | 38 | 14 | 102 |
| Organised children's play schemes | 51 | 29 | 149 |
| Children's activity play centres | 405 | 221 | 1,029 |
| Childminders | 43 | 13 | 955 |
Can you email nurseries? The PECR rules
In the UK, the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) treat business email addresses in two ways. Limited companies, LLPs, public bodies and most charities are "corporate subscribers": you can email them without asking first, as long as you say who you are and give an easy way to opt out. Sole traders and ordinary partnerships are treated as individuals: you need their consent before sending marketing emails.
How UK nurseries are set up, and what that means for email
The Office for National Statistics counts 5,325 nurseries workplaces in the UK (UK Business Counts 2026, SIC 85100). Under the email marketing rules (PECR), what matters is the legal form of the business:
| Legal form | UK workplaces | Share | Email marketing rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Limited companies and LLPs | 2,410 | 45% | Email allowed without prior consent, with an opt-out |
| Sole traders | 650 | 12% | Prior consent needed before emailing |
| Partnerships | 165 | 3% | Prior consent needed before emailing |
| Charities, clubs and other non-profits | 1,155 | 22% | Email allowed without prior consent, with an opt-out |
| Public sector | 950 | 18% | Email allowed without prior consent, with an opt-out |
Most nurseries can be emailed without prior consent. In the ONS figures, limited companies (the usual set-up for private day nurseries and nursery groups) are the largest group, charities and other non-profits come next (most committee-run pre-schools and playgroups are charities or community organisations), and public sector settings (mainly maintained nursery schools and classes) make up most of the rest. All of these are corporate subscribers: you can email them if you say who you are and give an easy opt-out.
About 15% of settings in the ONS count are sole traders or partnerships, typically a single nursery run by its owner, or a husband-and-wife business. Those count as individuals, so contact them by post or phone (checked against the TPS) first and ask whether they'd like to hear from you by email. Ask us to split the count by legal form and we'll do it.
A sector tip: a nursery attached to a school usually sits inside the school's own email system, and buying decisions may go through the school business manager rather than the nursery teacher. If your offer is for stand-alone private nurseries, say so when you ask for a count so school nursery classes can be left out.
More detail, including what UK GDPR adds, is in our guide to buying a business email list.
Who to email at nurseries
Early-years settings are small, so the decision-maker is rarely more than one step away, but who that is depends on how the setting is run:
| Job title | What they decide | How to approach them |
|---|---|---|
| Nursery owner or director (private nurseries) | Anything with a contract: insurance, energy, childcare management software, building works, food supply | Often runs one to three sites and decides quickly. Show the cost per child or per month, and keep it short; many owners also work in the rooms. |
| Nursery manager | Resources, staff training, menus, cleaning and consumables, recruitment, parent communication tools | Frequently counted in staffing ratios, so time at a desk is limited. One clear offer, a price and a simple next step work best. |
| Deputy manager | Training records, room resources, special educational needs support, cover for the manager | A useful second contact in larger nurseries. Practical, ready-to-use offers (a training session, a resource pack) suit them. |
| Room leader (baby room, toddler room, pre-school room) | Day-to-day play resources, sensory equipment, activity ideas for their age group | Usually recommends rather than buys. Age-specific emails ("for your baby room") are more likely to be passed up to the manager. |
| Committee chair or treasurer (charity-run pre-schools) | Insurance, payroll and accounts, hall hire, fundraising, larger purchases | Volunteers, often parents, who check email in the evening. Be clear about cost and that a committee vote may be needed; offer a short summary they can share. |
| Area or operations manager (nursery groups) | Standards and suppliers across several nurseries, trials of new services | The route into a group. Offer a pilot at one nursery they look after rather than asking for a group-wide decision. |
What the generic inbox reaches
A nursery's general inbox is mainly a parent inbox: enquiries about places, fees, sickness and collection. It is often read on a shared office computer or a tablet in a room, sometimes by whoever is on shift. Put who it is for in the subject or first line ("For the nursery manager") and make clear it is a supplier email, so it isn't mistaken for a parent message or ignored as spam. For term-time pre-schools, expect slower replies in the holidays.
What a record looks like
This is a made-up example showing the fields you get. Ask for a free sample and we'll send you real records for the area you cover.
| Business name | Little Example Day Nursery (made-up example) |
| Contact name | Sarah Holt |
| Job title | Nursery Manager |
| Named contact email | [email protected] |
| Company email | [email protected] |
| Address | Example Road, Leeds, LS6 |
| Telephone | 0113 496 0000 |
| Website | www.example.co.uk |
| Category | Nursery Schools |
| Employee size band | 10 to 19 |
Email subject lines that work for nurseries
Examples to adapt. Each is written for how nurseries actually work; keep yours short, specific and honest about what's inside.
- Bank staff for your nursery when someone calls in sickCovering ratios at short notice is a daily worry; a local, specific offer gets read.
- Healthy nursery menus planned for you, priced per childFood is a cost and a parent-facing issue. Pricing per child matches how managers think.
- Paediatric first aid refresher at your setting, on a SaturdayTraining in working hours means taking staff out of ratio; a weekend or evening option solves the real problem.
- Less paperwork for funded hours each termFunding claims and headcounts take up manager and owner time; promise time saved, not a legal outcome.
- Sensory resources for your baby roomAge-specific and practical, easy for a room leader to forward to the manager.
- Help recruiting qualified early-years practitionersRecruitment is a constant pressure for owners and area managers in this sector.
When to email nurseries
Unlike schools, most day nurseries open long days (often from early morning into the evening) and all year round, closing only for bank holidays and a short break at Christmas. Pre-schools and playgroups are the exception: many open in school hours, term time only. Managers are often counted in ratios too, so they read email in short gaps.
- Good: Tuesday to Thursday, early afternoon, when younger children are napping and rooms are calmer. Late afternoon after the busiest part of the day can also work for owners.
- Avoid: early morning around opening and drop-off, lunchtime, and the end of the day at collection. Mondays tend to go on staffing and parent messages from the weekend.
- Avoid September, when nurseries take in new children and settle them in, and the weeks when funded-hours headcounts and claims are due each term.
- December is taken up with nativity plays, parties and staff absence; send non-urgent offers in January or after the spring half-term instead.
- For term-time pre-schools, email during term: holiday emails may sit unread until the committee or manager returns.
Getting your emails into the inbox
Many small nurseries use free webmail accounts or a domain set up by a parent volunteer, and group nurseries filter email centrally. Plain, short emails from a recognisable business name get through best. Never include photos of children in a marketing email, even stock images that look like real settings; use simple product images or none, and link to a brochure rather than attaching one.
The basics apply to every list: send from a properly set-up domain (SPF, DKIM and DMARC), start with small daily volumes, remove bounces straight away and include a one-click unsubscribe. Our deliverability checklist covers each step.
Nurseries email list prices
You pay per record, and the price per record falls as the order grows:
| Number of records | Price per 1,000 |
|---|---|
| Fewer than 2,500 | £295 |
| 2,500 to 4,999 | £270 |
| 5,000 to 9,999 | £245 |
| 10,000 to 19,999 | £220 |
| 20,000 to 49,999 | £195 |
| 50,000 or more | £170 |
Other email lists
Nurseries email list: frequently asked questions
How many nurseries are on the nurseries email list?
We hold 6,322 named contact email addresses and 2,527 company email addresses for UK nurseries and pre-schools, taken from 13,586 settings on our database.
Can I take day nurseries without pre-schools and playgroups?
Yes. Nursery Schools and Pre School Education are separate categories. Nursery Schools has 3,997 named contact emails; Pre School Education has 2,325. You can take either one, or both.
Can I email pre-schools run by a committee or charity?
Yes. Charities and community organisations are treated as corporate subscribers under PECR, so you can email them without prior consent if you identify yourself and include an opt-out. Bear in mind the committee are often volunteers who read email in the evening.
Are childminders included?
No. Childminders are a separate category of 955 businesses with 43 named contact emails. Most work alone from home, so they are usually treated as individuals for email; post or phone is often the better first step.
Can I target nursery groups rather than single nurseries?
Ask for a count by employee size band or by company, and we'll show you how many settings belong to larger operators. You can also select by job title to look for area or operations managers.
How much does an email list of nurseries cost?
You pay per record: £295 per 1,000 for smaller orders, falling to £170 per 1,000 for 50,000 records or more (excluding VAT). Tell us which nurseries you want and we'll send a free count and an exact price.