Childcare waitlists in Australia: how to get a place
A childcare waitlist is the list a service keeps of children waiting for a place. You can join the waitlist at more than one service at once, most services charge a waitlist fee, and most give priority to siblings. Places for babies are the hardest to get, because centres need 1 educator for every 4 children under 2.
Why childcare waitlists are long
Demand for childcare outstrips the places available in many areas. Two published measures show the gap, and the ratio rules show why baby rooms fill first:
- Australians living in a childcare desert, an area with more than 3 children for every childcare place (Mitchell Institute, 2024)
- About 24%
- Australians in areas with virtually no access to childcare (Mitchell Institute, 2024)
- About 700,000
- Educators a centre needs for children from birth to 24 months (ACECQA)
- 1 for every 4
- Educators a centre needs from 36 months to preschool age (ACECQA)
- 1 for every 10 or 11
There is no official national figure for how long childcare waitlists are. A wait depends on the service, the age room, the days you ask for and how many children leave each year, so ask each service where your child sits on its list. Baby rooms take fewer children per educator, so they have fewer places to give. Places in older rooms tend to open when children leave for school at the start of the school year; ask each service when places in your child's room usually come up. The ratios for every age and state are on childcare ratios.
Check vacancies before you join a list
StartingBlocks.gov.au, the Australian Government's childcare website, compares services by quality rating, fees, vacancies and inclusions. Services enter their own vacancies and fees, and those show on Starting Blocks (ACECQA), so a service listing a vacancy for your days may be able to offer a place without a wait.
kid.com.au does not hold vacancy data. Use the childcare finder to list every approved service near you with its rating, type of care and approved places, then check each one's vacancies on Starting Blocks or by phone.
When to join a waitlist
There is no official timeline. This is our guidance, not a rule: the earlier you apply, the more options you keep.
Many services accept a waitlist application with an expected due date. Ask each service whether it does, and what it charges to join the list.
Give each service your child's date of birth, your preferred start date and the days you need. Add any services you missed.
Confirm your child is still on the list, ask where you sit, and correct any change to your days or start date.
Consider other days, nearby suburbs, a service near work, or another type of care such as family day care.
How to get a place sooner
No step guarantees a place, but each one widens your options:
You can put your child on the waitlist at more than one service at once. It is worth doing if your child needs a place by a particular age or date (NSW Government).
Most services give priority to siblings, so enrolling all your children at the same service can help the younger ones (NSW Government). Many services also publish a priority of access policy that sets out who is offered a place first; ask for it.
A family day care educator cares for up to 7 children in a home, with the same Child Care Subsidy as a centre. Smaller centres and services that opened recently are worth adding too. Types of childcare compared.
Tell each service every day you could accept. Demand differs from day to day at each service, so ask which days have openings and whether you can change days later.
A service rated Provisional: Not Yet Assessed on kid.com.au has been approved recently and has not had its first quality assessment, so it may still be filling its rooms. Each centre page shows the date the service was approved.
If your first choice has no place, take a place elsewhere and stay on the first choice's waitlist. Children can move between services.
An offer can come with a deadline, and a place you do not take goes to the next family. Keep your phone number and email up to date with every service.
Waitlist fees, bonds and enrolment
- Waitlist fee. Most early childhood education and care services charge a waitlist fee, and the amount varies between services. Before you pay, check whether it is refunded if you do not get a place or find one somewhere else (NSW Government).
- Bond. Some services ask for a bond when you enrol. You get it back when your child leaves, as long as you give the required notice and your fees are paid up (NSW Government).
- Enrolment. Expect an enrolment form, documents such as a birth certificate, immunisation records and proof of address, an enrolment meeting and an orientation.
- Child Care Subsidy. After you enrol, confirm the enrolment in your Centrelink online account through myGov, or the service cannot pass the subsidy on to you. How to claim the Child Care Subsidy.
Kindergarten and school-age care waitlists
Kindergarten places run on their own enrolment rounds. Victorian councils run central registration for sessional kinders, and other states enrol through the preschool or school; the dates are on how and when to enrol in kindergarten. A kinder program inside a long day care centre uses the centre's own waitlist. For before and after school care, you enrol with the service that runs the care, separately from your child's school enrolment.
Search a wider area
Waits differ between neighbouring suburbs and between services in the same street. A service near work or on your commute can also widen your options. Browse every approved service by state:
If you are still waiting
If your return-to-work date is close and you still have no place, these are the usual options:
Frequently asked questions
How long are childcare waitlists in Australia?
There is no official national figure. A wait depends on the service, the age room, the days you need and how many children leave each year. Places for babies are the hardest to get because centres need 1 educator for every 4 children under 2. Ask each service where your child sits on its list.
When should I put my baby on a childcare waitlist?
As early as you can. Many services accept an application with an expected due date, so you can apply during pregnancy. Ask each service whether it does, then update your application with the date of birth and your preferred start date.
Can I put my child on more than one childcare waitlist?
Yes. You can join the waitlist at more than one service at once, which is worth doing if your child needs a place by a particular age or date (NSW Government).
Do childcare centres charge a waitlist fee?
Most early childhood education and care services charge a waitlist fee, and the amount varies between services. Check the terms first, including whether the fee is refunded if you do not get a place or find a place somewhere else (NSW Government).
How do I find childcare with vacancies?
StartingBlocks.gov.au, the Australian Government childcare website, shows the vacancies services report, with their fees and quality ratings. Use the kid.com.au finder to list every approved service near you, then check vacancies on Starting Blocks or call the service.
Find childcare near you
List every approved service near you with its quality rating, type of care and places, then check vacancies with each one.
Search childcare servicesChildcare deserts: Mitchell Institute, Victoria University, Childcare deserts: where you live matters, 20 August 2024. Ratios: ACECQA, educator to child ratios. Waitlists, waitlist fees, sibling priority, bonds and enrolment: NSW Government, Enrolling in a service. Vacancies: StartingBlocks.gov.au and ACECQA, updating service information on StartingBlocks.gov.au. Parental leave: Fair Work Ombudsman, extending parental leave. Official sources checked 31 October 2026.