Whether you're a first-time parent or considering childcare for the first time, selecting the right childcare service for your family is a significant decision. With a multitude of childcare providers offering various types of care, inclusions, and services, we understand that the process can be quite overwhelming.
To assist you in making the right choice, we've compiled a helpful list of factors to consider when selecting childcare.
First and foremost, we encourage you to trust your instincts. Opt for a childcare service that aligns with your family's needs and ensures your child's happiness, support, and well-being because that is paramount. Take the time to visit the centres on your list, engage in conversations with the staff and Director, and don't hesitate to ask any questions necessary to put your mind at ease. Your childcare journey should be a joyful and enriching experience filled with fun, meaningful relationships, trust, and learning.
The Practical Considerations
What are the fees?
Fees can vary greatly depending on the area and the types of care and educational services offered. In Australia, the Government subsidises childcare which is a great help for families and ensures everybody can access quality education and care. You can check the Child Care Subsidy (CCS) rate you are entitled to, by contacting Service Australia or by using the Government’s handy CCS Calculator found here.
At Children First, we encourage our families to contact Services Australia in the early stages of looking for childcare, as subsidy entitlements can take a few weeks to be processed.
What benefits are included in the fees?
You must also consider what level of benefits and educational services are included in the fees. If a centre supplies your child with meals and nappies, this will greatly reduce your own household costs. For example, at Children First Early Education, we offer extensive benefits and all-inclusive fees including healthy meals, nappies, extracurricular activities, and full educational services.
The best thing you can do is ask centres directly for their daily fee and inclusions. Then, consider how this all fits in with your household budget and your family’s needs.
Which location should you be looking in?
Are you looking for a day care centre near you, within easy walking distance from your home? Or a centre you can drop your child off at on your way into work? Consider your personal routine and narrow down your search to centres that are convenient to your location needs.
What type of care do you require?
Are you looking for a centre that will provide your child with full-time care and educational services while you are working? Or are you looking for a centre that will give you a couple of hours of care every now and again when you need it? Some popular types of care include:
- Long Day Care - Care and education for children 0-6 years old. Usually operates for 8-12 hours a day, 48-52 weeks a year. Children can attend full-time, or parents can select the days they wish their child to be enrolled.
- Family Day Care - An Educator educates and cares for children in their own home, for children 0 to school-aged.
- Occasional Care - Casual care only when you need it so a less formalised bookings pattern. Operates shorter hours – usually 1-2 hours.
- Nanny or Au Pair - Hired for your child’s care in your own home.
- OSHC - Care before or after school for school-age children. This may also include holiday programs during school holidays for school-age children.
- Vacation Care - School holiday program for school-age children.
Do you require childcare right now, or are you happy to go on a waitlist?
Childcare centres have a limited number of available spots, making it crucial to commence your research into the centres you're interested in well in advance. Register your information with your preferred options so that they can get in touch when you're ready for childcare or when a vacancy arises. While it's possible that your favourite centre has an immediate opening, it's essential to bear in mind that many centres frequently maintain waitlists.
Have you considered licencing, regulations & national standards?
By law, all childcare centres must be registered. It is important that you check if a service is registered or not when choosing the right centre for your family. Check the ACECQA website to ensure the service you are choosing is registered.
Every childcare service is rated across seven quality areas, called the National Quality Standards. This assessment process ensures that childcare providers strive for quality in these seven important areas. These areas are rated as Significant Improvement Required, Working Towards, Meeting, Exceeding & Excellence.
Childcare centres must legally display their rating, and you can also ask the centre themselves in your initial enquiry or on your tour, or you can check the ACECQA website.
Long day care services are licensed under the Education and Care Services Regulation and Law. Each state has their own regulatory authority who works in consultation with childcare centres to ensure children are protected from harm and have the best possible outcomes for development and learning opportunities. The regulatory authority will conduct spot checks and assesses the centre against the National Quality Standards.
Facilities & Resources
What type of facilities are you looking for?
Are you in search of a contemporary facility equipped with adventure playgrounds and cutting-edge classroom technology, complete with all the latest features? Or do you and your child prefer a cosier atmosphere at a smaller centre that feels more like a home? If you're uncertain, the best course of action is to visit a variety of centres and determine which one aligns best with your preferences and your child's needs. Everyone has unique priorities, and what matters to one person may not matter as much to another. During your tours, take note of other aspects, such as whether the centre’s layout allows for a seamless transition between indoor and outdoor spaces. Is the environment secure? Are there robust sign-in and sign-out procedures in place for parents' peace of mind?
Is the centre well-maintained and clean?
On your tour, look at the resources – are they well looked after or are they worn and old? Is the play equipment maintained and the playgrounds looked after? Also note how clean the centre is. You can tell a lot about the care and pride that is put into a centre by how well it is maintained, cleaned, and cared for.
Staff and Community
The Philosophy
Read the centre’s philosophy. You can tell a lot about the values, beliefs, and the guiding principles of the centre by reading their philosophy. Does it align with your family’s values and beliefs?
Educational Services
The early years are so important to children’s learning and development, and childcare centres can provide so much more than just care. Look at the centre’s curriculum and the educational services they offer. How does the curriculum and the centre’s approach to early education match your values? Do children have a voice in regards to curriculum planning and can they freely choose resources and experiences that interest them? Do both parents and children have the ability to reflect on the educational curriculum so the centre is striving for continuous improvement?
The Staff
One of the most important areas for consideration is the centre’s staff and Educators. Ratios of Educators to children in each age group are set by legislation, so ensure that your centre is
maintaining these ratios. However, there are other considerations to make too. Is there a high staff turnover, or are there many long-term Educators? Do the staff hold qualifications appropriate to the children and
level of learning they are responsible for? Are they qualified in areas such as first aid and do they participate in professional development opportunities? Are the staff happy at the centre and do you get a great welcoming vibe from them? Again, tour the centres you love and talk to the staff in different classrooms to really get a feel of the
centre, this is the perfect opportunity to observe staff interactions and engagements with the children. Ask about their qualifications. You are entrusting the staff with your precious child’s care, so do thorough research in this area.
Communication and Partnerships with Parents
How does the centre communicate with parents? Does the centre allow parents input into their child’s educational learning? How will the centre communicate your child’s daily learning? These questions are important to ask when you enquire with the centre, as your childcare journey should be a partnership between your family and your centre. For example, at Children First, we value open communication and parent input into our programs. We support our families and see our family as a community. We also send you daily updates of your child’s day through KindyHub.
Reputation and Reviews
Word of mouth is so important. Do your research and engage in social listening, and look on Google and Facebook for reviews and what parents are saying about the centre. Join some community Facebook groups in the area and put the question out there for feedback on centres in your area. Parents love to talk, and you can tell a lot about a centre from what is said about them.
Finally, the most important consideration of all – how does the centre make you feel?
This cannot be emphasised enough. Starting from the initial contact with the centre, throughout the enrolment procedure, and during your tour of the facility, you should experience a sense of being welcomed into the family. The childcare centre should exude a comforting, home-like atmosphere for you and your family, where you feel embraced and both you and your child are eager to create cherished memories.
We wish you all the very best in your childcare journey. Our dedicated team are on hand to support you with any questions you may have about our Children First centres. Phone us on 1300 004 111 or visit our contact page to enquire online.
