Choose an early childhood education and care service

The ACT has a range of early childhood education and care services. These provide education and care for children aged up to 13 years.

Start to plan as early as possible. Demand for places is high and many services have waiting lists.

Find a service

Use the childcare finder tool on the Australian Government's Starting Blocks website to find services near you, including:

• long day care
• family day care
• preschools
• out of school hours care
• school holiday programs that operate for 28 days or more a year.

The tool lists the National Quality Standard (NQS) rating for most services. This is one way of helping you choose the best service for your child.

The Starting Blocks website has information to help you:

• learn about children's developmental milestones
• understand what to expect from an education and care service
• find a service and learn about their quality ratings
• get tips for starting education and care or preschool
• find out what you can do at home to encourage your child’s learning and development.

Choose a service

When choosing a service, factors to consider include:

• quality
• cost
• opening hours
• type of service (long day care or family day care)
• any other services provided, such as meals or nappies.

We encourage you to visit the service before deciding. You may want to consider whether:

• indoor and outdoor spaces are inviting
• educators communicate often with children, including babies
• routines are relaxed and unhurried
• there is a process for regular communication with families.

You can also ask a service for their:

• Quality Improvement Plan, which includes the philosophy of the service
• educational program details, including how the program is delivered.

For information on how services are regulated, visit regulating early childhood education and care.

Long day care and family day care

Your options for early childhood education and care include:

• long day care (from birth to school age)
• family day care (in the home of a registered family day care provider, from birth to age 13).

All educators must have certain qualifications and comply with national standards.

Long day care:

• is provided in a commercial space, not at home
• usually as classrooms divided by children's age and developmental needs
• usually has larger groups than in family day care, with multiple educators providing education and care to children
• is managed by a centre director.

Family day care:

• is provided in the home of an educator (usually one person providing care)
• has smaller groups, sometimes with a mix of ages
• has more of a home-like setting.

Free three-year-old preschool at long day care

If your child is turning 3 and you'd like them to access some hours of free preschool at a long day care service, read about free three-year-old preschool.

Waiting lists and getting a place

Each education and care service has its own procedures for taking enrolments and allocating places when a vacancy becomes available.

Waiting lists are often used to register the details of families seeking places.

When adding your name to a waiting list, find out what you need to do to maintain your place on the list. For example, some services may charge a fee or need you to complete an application form.

When there is a vacancy, the service needs to consider many factors before offering a place. This includes the child's age and family's preference for days.

The service is also required to comply with the Australian Government's priority of access guidelines. For more details, read the Australian Government's Childcare Provider Handbook.

Get help with the cost of care

Many families can get help with the cost of education and care through the Australian Government's Child Care Subsidy (CCS).

The CCS reduces the cost of your total fees at the time of payment. The amount by which your fees are reduced is income tested.

Visit the Australian Government Department of Human Services website for details, including how to apply for the child care subsidy.