Seven things to consider when searching for an early learning service.        

BY HEJIRA CONVERY, KINDICARE

MARCH 13, 2025

In some ways, choosing an early learning service is a bit like buying a property!  

Factors like cost, location, quality and loveability all matter, and although you’re not spending hundreds of thousands on this purchase, you are investing in something really valuable – your child’s learning, development, wellbeing and potential.  

For this reason, it pays to choose your early learning service carefully, and this means conducting a thorough childcare search, and engaging with several prospective services before making a final decision. 

To help you do this, here are seven key considerations when choosing a childcare centre.

1. Quality

A high standard of education and care is what you’re looking for, and from the get-go, you can judge a service’s quality by checking its KindiCare Rating and National Quality Standard (NQS) Rating.  

The KindiCare Rating is explained here, but as guide, a KindiCare Rating of 8.5 or above is attractive, and if your prospective service has a higher KindiCare Rating than the area average (as shown in their KindiCare listing), this bodes well.  

The NQS Rating given by the service’s regulatory authority is also very telling. 

Although a Meeting NQS rating doesn’t sound amazing, this means the service provides quality education and care in all seven quality areas, and an Exceeding NQS or Excellent rating is even better! 

Online parent reviews can also tell you a lot about the quality of a prospective service, especially if they’re detailed and recent, and a word-of-mouth review from a friend, colleague or family member is sure to be illuminating. 

A tour will then give you a real sense of the service, and while on-site you can look for quality indicators like great relationships, child-centred educational programs and engaging environments.   

2. Affordability

Fees take a big bite out of the family budget, even with the Child Care Subsidy applied, so it’s important to understand what you’ll be paying at each prospective service, based on your little one’s age and childcare use.  

Some services offer an all-inclusive fee structure, which means you pay no extra for things like meals and incursions. This can make things more affordable in total, and affordability isn’t just about fees – it’s also about value.  

KindiCare’s Value for Money Rating tells you whether a service is good value compared with similar childcare offerings in the area; and on a personal level, you might be happy to pay more for snazzy facilities, exciting incursions or that centre your bestie recommended so highly. 

3. Convenience

Whether you’re looking for a service that’s close to home, work or school, location matters, and your childcare commute needs to be manageable.  

The ‘How to Get There’ map in a service’s KindiCare listing will show you the easiest route, and to see your commute in real time, it also helps to do a practise run during the morning rush.   

A service’s opening hours also need to be convenient, and for many working parents, long day care wraps around the nine-to-five nicely!   

4. Curriculum

Whether your child will be at their service a little or a lot, it’s really important that they have great interactions with educators and other children, and take part in activities, routines and events that will support their learning and development.  

When you tour a service, you can ask staff about the overall curriculum, plus things you’re particularly interested in, and can also have a good look at what everyone is up to.  

At a service with a rich curriculum, you’ll see children enjoying lots of different experiences, with educators enthusiastically joining in, and there will be plenty of works on display, so you can see what children have been learning.  

5. Staff

Speaking of enthusiastic educators, it’s absolutely essential that you choose a centre with a professional and dedicated team.  

There are certain qualification requirements that services must meet, and although it’s ok for some people to be gaining qualifications and experience on the job, unhappy educators and high staff turnover can have a negative effect on the quality of education and care provided - or even the ability of the service to stay open. 

Watching educators in action, and having a chat with them, will tell you a lot about the morale of the team, and it helps to ask questions like, “What do you love about this centre?” and “How long have you been working here?”  

If something feels off, then trust your instincts, and look for your child’s response too. 

If things are good, your child is more likely to seem interested and comfortable. 

And whether a service feels super friendly or calm and caring, you want to be sure that the place is well-managed and you'll be able to partner with  educators to support your child’s learning, development and wellbeing.  

6. Personal preferences 

Every family is different, and when you’re choosing childcare, you also need to think about how a prospective service’s philosophy fits with your own, and whether there’s anything you’re particularly looking for in a service.  

For instance, if you follow a particular religion, speak a language other than English, or are looking for a Reggio-inspired educational approach, you might like to choose a centre that supports this. 

Alternatively, you might find that your childcare search yields something you hadn’t considered, but are now very keen on, like an all weather play approach or multi-age grouping.  

7. Availability

Last, but definitely not least, you need to consider whether your prospective service has any vacancies! 

You can check which times and days are available for your child by clicking the ‘Make Enquiry’ button in a service’s KindiCare listing, and it pays to enquire well ahead of time.  

Putting your child’s name down on a few waiting lists very proactively helps to ensure there’s a place available when you need it, and this article has some top tips to help you find a vacancy in a tight childcare market.  

With the above considerations in mind, KindiCare makes it easy to start your childcare search. 

Our app’s Childcare Match feature suggests different early learning services based on your childcare preferences. 

You can then drill down further by clicking into each service’s KindiCare listing, shortlisting your favourites, and comparing them side-by-side.  

With your top picks in hand, you can then use the KindiCare App or Childcare Comparison Website to enquire with each service, organise a tour, and apply – making it so much simpler to find the perfect childcare fit!