Childcare in Canberra
There are 400 approved childcare services in the Canberra urban area, including Queanbeyan in New South Wales: 198 offer long day care, 107 run a kindergarten or preschool program and 122 offer before and after school care. 41% of rated services are Exceeding the National Quality Standard or Excellent, against 18% nationally.
Highest-rated suburbs
Suburbs with at least 5 rated services, ranked by the share rated Exceeding the National Quality Standard or Excellent.
| Suburb | Rated services | Exceeding or Excellent |
|---|---|---|
| Yarralumla | 5 | 4 (80%) |
| Campbell | 5 | 4 (80%) |
| Throsby | 5 | 4 (80%) |
| Dickson | 7 | 5 (71%) |
| Mawson | 6 | 4 (67%) |
| Calwell | 5 | 3 (60%) |
| Charnwood | 5 | 3 (60%) |
| Harrison | 5 | 3 (60%) |
| Phillip | 5 | 3 (60%) |
| Belconnen | 8 | 4 (50%) |
Services rated Excellent
Excellent is the highest rating, awarded by ACECQA to services that apply after being rated Exceeding. 2 services in Canberra hold it:
- Evelyn Scott School - Preschool Unit Denman Prospect
- Forrest Out Of School Hours Care Forrest
How the ratings work: National Quality Standard ratings explained.
Types of care in Canberra
| Type of care | Services in Canberra |
|---|---|
| Long day care | 198 |
| Kindergarten or preschool program | 107 |
| Family day care schemes | 5 |
| Before and after school care | 122 |
| Vacation care | 99 |
Services that offer more than one type of care are counted once for each. Family day care is counted by scheme, not by educator.
What childcare costs in Canberra
The Department of Education publishes fees by state, not by city. Long day care in Australian Capital Territory averaged $16.50 an hour in the June quarter 2026, about $165 for a 10-hour day before the Child Care Subsidy. What a family pays after the subsidy depends on income:
| Family income | Subsidy rate | Daily gap fee |
|---|---|---|
| $80,000 | 90% | $28 |
| $120,000 | 84% | $37 |
| $180,000 | 72% | $56 |
For a 10-hour day at the Australian Capital Territory average fee, one child under school age, before the 5% of the subsidy that is withheld until the year is balanced. Work out your own with the CCS calculator, or see childcare fees by state.
All suburbs in Canberra
- Acton 4
- Ainslie 3
- Amaroo 4
- Aranda 4
- Barton 5
- Belconnen 8
- Bonner 2
- Bonython 3
- Braddon 4
- Bruce 6
- Calwell 5
- Campbell 5
- Canberra 1
- Canberra Airport 1
- Capital Hill 1
- Casey 2
- Chapman 3
- Charnwood 5
- Chifley 1
- Chisholm 3
- Conder 7
- Coombs 3
- Crace 1
- Crestwood 1
- Curtin 6
- Deakin 7
- Denman Prospect 3
- Dickson 7
- Downer 1
- Duffy 2
- Evatt 5
- Fadden 3
- Farrer 2
- Florey 3
- Flynn 1
- Forde 3
- Forrest 3
- Franklin 3
- Fraser 2
- Fyshwick 2
- Garran 6
- Gilmore 2
- Giralang 3
- Googong 5
- Gordon 5
- Gowrie 5
- Greenway 4
- Griffith 3
- Gundaroo 1
- Gungahlin 12
- Hackett 2
- Harrison 5
- Hawker 2
- Holder 4
- Holt 5
- Hughes 3
- Isaacs 1
- Isabella Plains 3
- Jerrabomberra 5
- Kaleen 7
- Kambah 12
- Karabar 3
- Latham 2
- Lyneham 4
- Lyons 3
- Macarthur 1
- Macgregor 3
- Macquarie 4
- Majura 1
- Mawson 6
- Mckellar 2
- Melba 2
- Monash 4
- Narrabundah 4
- Ngunnawal 3
- Nicholls 8
- O'connor 5
- Oxley 1
- Page 1
- Palmerston 2
- Parkes 1
- Pearce 3
- Phillip 5
- Queanbeyan 14
- Queanbeyan East 4
- Queanbeyan West 2
- Red Hill 9
- Reid 2
- Richardson 3
- Rivett 3
- Russell Hill 1
- Scullin 3
- Spence 3
- Strathnairn 3
- Sutton 2
- Symonston 2
- Taylor 5
- Theodore 2
- Throsby 5
- Torrens 3
- Turner 4
- Wanniassa 12
- Waramanga 3
- Watson 5
- Weetangera 2
- Weston 3
- Wright 1
- Yarralumla 6
Frequently asked questions
How many childcare centres are there in Canberra?
There are 400 approved childcare services in the Canberra urban area, including Queanbeyan in New South Wales, including 198 that offer long day care and 122 that offer before and after school care. Many services offer more than one type of care.
How much does childcare cost in Canberra?
Long day care in Australian Capital Territory averaged $16.50 an hour in the June quarter 2026, about $165 for a 10-hour day before the Child Care Subsidy. A family earning $120,000 pays about $37 a day after the subsidy. Fees vary by centre, so check each service directly.
How many Canberra childcare services are rated Exceeding?
154 of the 372 rated services in Canberra (41%) are rated Exceeding the National Quality Standard or Excellent, compared with 18% across Australia.
Which Canberra suburbs have the most childcare?
Queanbeyan (14), Gungahlin (12) and Kambah (12) have the most approved services in Canberra.
Services and ratings: ACECQA National Registers, export of 29 October 2026. City boundary: ABS Significant Urban Area (Canberra), ASGS Edition 3 (2021), matched to services by postcode. Fees: Department of Education, Child Care Subsidy data report, June quarter 2026.