← Little Places homeRead NSW Education’s service-selection guidance ↗ACECQA: how assessment and ratings work ↗Check a service’s official record on Starting Blocks ↗
FIND YOUR OPTIONS. ASK BETTER QUESTIONS.
Choose childcare with a clearer picture.
Find local centres, understand their ratings and take practical questions on your visits. When you have written quotes, compare what you could actually pay.
TAKE BETTER QUESTIONS ON YOUR TOUR
A lovely room is easy to notice. These answers take a little asking.
Read these before your visit and choose the questions that matter to your family. Download the list or take a screenshot to bring along, then focus on the conversation and what you see.
1. Who will usually care for my child?
Ask about the regular team, staff changes and who covers absences. Note who you actually meet.
2. What happens if my child stays upset after I leave?
Ask for an example of how they comfort a child, adapt settling-in visits and keep you informed.
3. How are sleeping children supervised?
Ask to see the sleep space and hear how checks, individual routines and safe-sleep practices work.
4. What would a normal day look like for my child?
Ask how activities follow children’s interests, include outdoor play and accommodate different abilities.
5. How would you support our family’s needs?
Discuss allergies, disability or additional support, home language and cultural needs privately with the service.
6. How will we hear about our child’s day?
Ask how learning, concerns, incidents and changes in eating or sleep are communicated.
7. What is included in the written quote?
Check meals, nappies, excursions, enrolment charges, absences, public holidays and notice to change or end care.
8. Who do I speak to if something worries me?
Ask how concerns are recorded, followed up and escalated, and where families can read the complaints policy.
READ THE RATING BEHIND THE BADGE
“Meeting” is the benchmark. The detail matters too.
Check the overall result, the individual quality areas and when the assessment took place. Ask what has changed since, including leadership and staffing. A rating informs your visit; it cannot guarantee your child’s experience today.
Meeting NQS
The service meets the National Quality Standard. This is the national benchmark, not a low score.
Exceeding NQS
The service goes beyond the standard in the required combination of quality areas. Read the individual areas as well.
Working Towards NQS
One or more areas need improvement. Check which areas, the assessment date and what has changed since.
Significant Improvement Required
Serious concerns require regulatory action. Check the current official status and speak to the regulator.
Excellent
A separate ACECQA award that eligible services can apply for; it is not automatically given for an Exceeding result.
Not yet rated / no rating shown
An unavailable rating is not a quality verdict. Confirm whether assessment is pending or the service is outside the NQF.
Look across all seven areas
Educational program and practice · Health and safety · Physical environment · Staffing · Relationships with children · Partnerships with families and communities · Governance and leadership.
The overall result is not an average of seven scores. For example, an area rated Working Towards prevents an overall Meeting result. Our directory shows recorded ratings where available; use the official record to check the latest detail and date.
Look up a centre in the directory →Guidance reviewed 22 October 2026. No centre rating is inferred from its photos, fees or your checklist answers.
TWO QUOTES. THE SAME CARE PATTERN.
The lower daily fee may not mean the lower weekly bill.
Enter two written quotes to compare charged session lengths, estimated CCS, weekly extras and joining costs. We don’t have centre prices; every quote amount comes from you.
For one child on the standard CCS rate
Approved centre-based day care, age 5 or younger and not at school. Both options use the same days and family details. For higher sibling rates or several children, use the full calculator. This is a guide—not a quote, eligibility decision or guarantee. Confirm all amounts with the centre and Services Australia.
Multiple children or unsure about CCS? Open the full calculator →Quote comparison: annual family adjusted taxable income ($)
Days per week in both quotes
1
2
3
4
5
Confirmed subsidised hours per fortnight
72
100
No CCS
72 hours is selected as an assumption, not confirmation of eligibility. Use your Centrelink entitlement. These hours are subsidised, not free care.
Quote comparison: CCS withholding (%)
Quote 1
Quote 1: Centre name
Quote 1: Daily fee BEFORE CCS ($)
Quote 1: Charged hours per session
Quote 1: Weekly extras NOT included in daily fee ($)
Quote 1: One-off enrolment / joining charges ($)
Quote 1: Included items and conditions to check
Complete the family details, daily fee and session hours to see this quote’s estimate.
Quote 2
Quote 2: Centre name
Quote 2: Daily fee BEFORE CCS ($)
Quote 2: Charged hours per session
Quote 2: Weekly extras NOT included in daily fee ($)
Quote 2: One-off enrolment / joining charges ($)
Quote 2: Included items and conditions to check
Complete the family details, daily fee and session hours to see this quote’s estimate.
Uses the same 2026–27 CCS model as our full calculator, including the hourly cap and withholding. Weekly extras and joining charges are assumed not subsidised; include any subsidisable session charges in the quoted daily fee instead. No discounts, state preschool funding, Additional CCS, absences or other care using the allowance are modelled. Session patterns repeat each week; actual invoices and rounding may differ. All entries clear when you leave or refresh.
See the full CCS assumptions and official sources →Before you pay to join a waitlist
Get the terms in writing: is there a fee, is any part refundable, and does joining guarantee anything? Confirm how offers are made, which days you need, your preferred start date and how often to check in.
Keep a record of the person you spoke to, the date, your requested days and the next follow-up. A waitlist position is not a confirmed place—ask what happens if the offered days or start date do not suit you.
Queensland Government: questions when choosing care ↗Start with the type of care you need
Long day care offers centre-based care across the day. Family day care takes place in an educator’s home with a small group. Preschool or kindergarten focuses on an early-learning program before school; hours, ages and funding vary by state. Outside-school-hours care covers school-age children before or after school and during holidays.
Check the actual service’s hours, age groups, availability and eligibility. Our quote comparison above only models centre-based day care for a child aged 5 or younger who has not started school.
myGov: finding care and choosing a service type ↗