How can you tell if your child’s daycare is good quality?

This week, we heard claims of shocking abuse and neglect in Australian childcare centres on ABC’s Four Corners program.

While 91% of services met or exceeded the national standards as of February 2025, there have also been reports of centres operating with unqualified staff, abusive practices and nutritionally substandard food.

How can you tell if your child is going to a good quality childcare service?

Read more: Amid claims of abuse, neglect and poor standards, what is going wrong with childcare in Australia?

What are the standards?

Australian’s childcare regulator – the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority or ACECQA – oversees national quality standards for early childhood education and care.

Services are assessed and given a rating across seven areas including the staffing, children’s health and safety and the educational program. The ratings note whether services are “exceeding”, “meeting” or “working towards” the national standards. In some cases, they may note “significant improvement [is] required”.

These ratings are public (you can search the national register of services) and are a useful starting point for parents.

However, they may not reflect the current situation in a service. As the Productivity Commission noted, many services assessed as “meeting” the national standards (which comprise the bulk of the sector) have a gap of more than four years between assessments. Services with lower ratings are reassessed more frequently.

But there are other ways for parents to assess the quality of their child’s early childhood education.

Read more: We need more than police checks: how parents and educators can keep childcare services safe from abuse

Do educators want to work there?

If early childhood educators want to work at your childcare service, this is a strong sign it is a good quality service.

One of the major issues in the early childhood sector is staff retention. Excessive workloads, not being valued by employers and poor pay are some of the reasons early childhood educators leave their jobs.

This is a huge problem, because high-quality staff are key to providing high-quality education and care, built on strong, stable relationships with children.

If you are considering a service, a key question to ask is how long educators have been working there? How often do they have to replace staff?

If you are already at a service, ask yourself, are there consistent staff at drop off/pick up? Are there familiar relief educators to cover absences? Or is there unexplained high turnover?

As a bottom line, all educators should be warm and caring and get to know every child and their family.

What is the centre itself like?

Some daycare centres market themselves to parents by offering a “barista made” coffee in the morning, yoga classes and designer interiors.

While this might appeal to adult tastes, it is important to think about whether the centre is set up to be suitable and fun for children. For example:

• is there space to play outside, with natural materials? It is recommended toddlers and preschoolers are physically active for at least three hours per day

• are there plenty of different play options to appeal to different interests and different children? Or does nothing seem to be organised?

• are toys and equipment in good condition? Are pencils sharpened and ready to use? Are there puzzle pieces missing?

Read more: Real dirt, no fake grass and low traffic – what to look for when choosing a childcare centre

What about the activities and educational program?

In Australia, centres need to provide play-based learning opportunities, which support children’s wellbeing, learning and development.

This is not about teaching children to read and do algebra before they start school. It is about supporting children to have positive play experiences, so the associated learning is fun and leaves children wanting to know (and do) more.

Services should provide children with lots of opportunities to explore in age-appropriate ways. For example, toddlers may have a sandpit with multiple tools and toys. Three- and four-year-olds may work on projects, such as building kites, or go on excursions in their local community.

Educators should be involved in this play. Sometimes they may act as a partner, helping to extend children’s imaginations. Other times, they may support from the sideline, encouraging a child to climb to a higher part of the climbing frame than yesterday.

They should not be telling children what to do all the time. It’s important for children to be given the time and space to test out their theories about how the world works.

Some things to look out for include:

• is there “cookie cutter” art (where every piece of children’s art looks the same) on the wall? Or are children given the chance to express their creativity?

• can toys be used in more than one way, in different areas (to encourage children’s agency)? Or are toys required to be kept in certain places?

• can educators talk about the different things they are doing to stimulate and extend children’s play and interests?

Families should also receive clear, regular communication about their child’s development and progress. If there are issues with behaviour, the centre should provide evidence-based support that respects the rights and dignity of children (rather than punishing or shaming them).

Finally, does your child seem to have fun at childcare? Provided there are no other issues (such as separation anxiety), do they want to go and see their educators and friends? This is a good sign of a quality service that is building children’s sense of belonging.

Need more information?

If you have any concerns or need more information, try talking to your centre director first. Alternatively, you can contact the regulatory authority in your state or territory.