Long day care (childcare)
Long day care, often called childcare, is centre-based care provided by early childhood professionals for children from 6 weeks of age until they start at primary school. Quality matters, and most services will have a National Quality Standard (NQS) rating which is one way of helping families choose the best service for their children.
Who:
All children aged from 6 weeks of age until they commence primary school.
If a child is attending a long day care setting, the Child Care Subsidy (CCS) and Additional Child Care Subsidy (ACCS) should be considered to reduce the financial cost for the family.
How to access
Find Child Care is an interactive map can be used to search for a long day care, family day care or occasional care service nearest to a family.
Contact details of the service are included on the map so the service can be contacted directly to ask about their individual enrolment process.
What you can get
Quality childcare services employ early childhood trained professionals who will provide a stimulating and caring environment for babies and children, provide clear communication to the parent/carer about the child’s time in the service and develop a relationship with the parent/carer so that strengths and concerns can be shared.
Different services will offer different programs so support a family to consider what is important to them, including asking about:
- Operation hours
- Drop off and pickup times
- Availability of days
- Fees charged including for public holidays and days of absence
- Provision of nappies, meals, sunscreen etc
- Skills, qualifications and experiences of the staff
- If the service has been rated under the National Quality Standards
- Ages of children at the service
- Eligibility for subsides and financial assistance based on the service type.
Resources
Starting Blocks has multiple resources that can be used with families to support their transition into an early childhood education and care (ECEC) service including:
