Childcare in Melbourne
There are 3,616 approved childcare services in the Melbourne urban area: 1,663 offer long day care, 952 run a kindergarten or preschool program and 1,167 offer before and after school care. 24% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Port Melbourne | 6 | 5 (83%) |
| South Melbourne | 7 | 5 (71%) |
| Armadale | 9 | 6 (67%) |
| Beaumaris | 9 | 6 (67%) |
| Vermont | 8 | 5 (63%) |
| Collingwood | 5 | 3 (60%) |
| Research | 5 | 3 (60%) |
| Aspendale | 7 | 4 (57%) |
| Chirnside Park | 7 | 4 (57%) |
| Yarraville | 9 | 5 (56%) |
Services rated Excellent
Excellent is the highest rating, awarded by ACECQA to services that apply after being rated Exceeding. 7 services in Melbourne hold it:
- Aldercourt Child and Family Centre Frankston North
- Balnarring Preschool Balnarring
- Bubup Wilam Aboriginal Child and Family Centre Inc. Thomastown
- Gowrie Victoria Broadmeadows Valley Broadmeadows
- Kinglake Ranges Children's Centre Kinglake Central
- Melton Montessori Early Learning Centre Melton West
- Renown Kindergarten South Yarra
How the ratings work: National Quality Standard ratings explained.
Types of care in Melbourne
| Type of care | Services in Melbourne |
|---|---|
| Long day care | 1,663 |
| Kindergarten or preschool program | 952 |
| Family day care schemes | 97 |
| Before and after school care | 1,167 |
| Vacation care | 909 |
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 Melbourne
The Department of Education publishes fees by state, not by city. Long day care in Victoria averaged $14.65 an hour in the June quarter 2026, about $147 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% | $15 |
| $120,000 | 84% | $23 |
| $180,000 | 72% | $41 |
For a 10-hour day at the Victoria 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 Melbourne
- Abbotsford 4
- Aberfeldie 1
- Aintree 6
- Airport West 4
- Albanvale 3
- Albert Park 5
- Albion 3
- Alphington 8
- Altona 10
- Altona Meadows 12
- Altona North 10
- Ardeer 4
- Armadale 9
- Arnolds Creek 1
- Ascot Vale 10
- Ascot Vale West 1
- Ashburton 12
- Ashwood 7
- Aspendale 7
- Aspendale Gardens 5
- Attwood 1
- Avondale Heights 7
- Avonsleigh 1
- Balaclava 3
- Balnarring 3
- Balwyn 10
- Balwyn North 12
- Bangholme 2
- Baxter 3
- Bayles 2
- Bayswater 10
- Bayswater North 5
- Beaconsfield 7
- Beaconsfield Upper 4
- Beaumaris 10
- Beaumaris East 1
- Belgrave 2
- Belgrave Heights 3
- Belgrave South 2
- Bellfield 3
- Bennettswood 1
- Bentleigh 13
- Bentleigh East 19
- Berwick 34
- Beveridge 6
- Bittern 2
- Black Rock 4
- Blackburn 16
- Blackburn North 7
- Blackburn South 7
- Bonbeach 4
- Boneo 1
- Boronia 17
- Boronia West 1
- Botanic Ridge 4
- Box Hill 7
- Box Hill North 11
- Box Hill South 2
- Braybrook 10
- Briar Hill 4
- Brighton 18
- Brighton East 13
- Broadmeadows 10
- Brookfield 10
- Brooklyn 2
- Brunswick 13
- Brunswick East 5
- Brunswick North 1
- Brunswick West 9
- Bulleen 10
- Bundoora 18
- Burnside 3
- Burnside Heights 4
- Burwood 8
- Burwood East 8
- Cairnlea 6
- Camberwell 13
- Camberwell East 1
- Campbellfield 4
- Canterbury 10
- Cardinia 1
- Carlton 10
- Carlton North 5
- Carlton, 1
- Carnegie 5
- Caroline Springs 16
- Carrum 4
- Carrum Downs 19
- Caulfield 4
- Caulfield East 2
- Caulfield North 3
- Caulfield South 9
- Chadstone 4
- Chelsea 6
- Chelsea Heights 3
- Cheltenham 22
- Chirnside Park 7
- Clarinda 4
- Clayton 13
- Clayton North 1
- Clayton South 12
- Clifton Hill 5
- Clyde 14
- Clyde North 34
- Cobblebank 2
- Coburg 23
- Coburg East 1
- Coburg North 3
- Cockatoo 3
- Coldstream 2
- Collingwood 6
- Coolaroo 6
- Craigieburn 52
- Cranbourne 32
- Cranbourne East 12
- Cranbourne North 18
- Cranbourne South 1
- Cranbourne West 15
- Crib Point 3
- Croydon 28
- Croydon Hills 3
- Croydon North 5
- Croydon South 3
- Dallas 7
- Dandenong 30
- Dandenong North 13
- Dandenong South 3
- Darraweit Guim 1
- Deanside 5
- Deepdene 3
- Deer Park 12
- Delahey 6
- Derrimut 6
- Devon Meadows 2
- Diamond Creek 12
- Diggers Rest 4
- Dingley Village 7
- Docklands 6
- Don Valley 1
- Doncaster 15
- Doncaster East 23
- Donnybrook 6
- Donvale 9
- Doreen 17
- Doveton 9
- Dromana 5
- East Brunswick 1
- East Malvern 1
- East Melbourne 2
- Edithvale 3
- Elsternwick 17
- Eltham 16
- Eltham North 5
- Elwood 8
- Emerald 5
- Endeavour Hills 22
- Epping 30
- Epping North 2
- Essendon 21
- Essendon Fields 1
- Essendon North 4
- Exford 1
- Eynesbury 4
- Fairfield 5
- Fawkner 9
- Ferntree Gully 24
- Ferny Creek 1
- Fitzroy 8
- Fitzroy North 9
- Flemington 9
- Footscray 17
- Forest Hill 9
- Frankston 27
- Frankston North 6
- Frankston South 11
- Fraser Rise 5
- Gembrook 3
- Gladstone Park 5
- Glen Huntly 4
- Glen Iris 17
- Glen Waverley 30
- Glenroy 18
- Gowanbrae 1
- Greensborough 19
- Greenvale 16
- Hadfield 5
- Hallam 7
- Hampton 8
- Hampton Park 19
- Harkaway 1
- Harkness 3
- Hastings 8
- Hawthorn 13
- Hawthorn East 10
- Heathmont 7
- Heathmont East 5
- Heidelberg 6
- Heidelberg Heights 3
- Heidelberg West 4
- Highett 4
- Hillside 12
- Hmas Cerberus 1
- Hoppers Crossing 34
- Hughesdale 7
- Hurstbridge 4
- Ivanhoe 12
- Ivanhoe East 2
- Ivanhoe West 1
- Junction Village 2
- Kalkallo 9
- Kallista 2
- Karingal 1
- Kealba 4
- Keilor 7
- Keilor Downs 7
- Keilor East 8
- Keilor Park 1
- Kensington 5
- Kew 24
- Kew East 4
- Kew North 1
- Keysborough 19
- Kilsyth 9
- Kinglake Central 3
- Kings Park 4
- Kingsbury 3
- Kingsville 3
- Knoxfield 6
- Koo Wee Rup 6
- Kurunjang 3
- Lalor 14
- Langwarrin 22
- Langwarrin South 2
- Launching Place 1
- Laverton 6
- Lilydale 14
- Little River 3
- Lower Plenty 4
- Lynbrook 6
- Lyndhurst 5
- Lysterfield 2
- Macclesfield 1
- Macleod 6
- Macleod West 1
- Maidstone 5
- Malvern 8
- Malvern East 13
- Mambourin 6
- Manor Lakes 8
- Maribyrnong 6
- Mckinnon 4
- Meadow Heights 7
- Melbourne 10
- Melton 19
- Melton South 10
- Melton West 7
- Mentone 17
- Menzies Creek 2
- Merlynston 1
- Mernda 18
- Mickleham 15
- Middle Park 3
- Mill Park 19
- Millgrove 1
- Mitcham 12
- Monbulk 3
- Mont Albert 2
- Mont Albert North 4
- Montmorency 8
- Montmorency South 1
- Montrose 8
- Moonee Ponds 9
- Moorabbin 9
- Mooroolbark 21
- Mordialloc 7
- Mornington 18
- Mornington South 1
- Mount Cottrell 1
- Mount Dandenong 2
- Mount Eliza 15
- Mount Evelyn 10
- Mount Martha 12
- Mount Waverley 23
- Mulgrave 13
- Murrumbeena 7
- Narre Warren 22
- Narre Warren East 1
- Narre Warren North 8
- Narre Warren South 18
- Newport 10
- Niddrie 3
- Noble Park 17
- Noble Park North 4
- North Melbourne 10
- North Warrandyte 1
- Northcote 12
- Notting Hill 2
- Nunawading 9
- Oak Park 8
- Oakleigh 9
- Oakleigh East 3
- Oakleigh South 11
- Officer 30
- Ormond 9
- Pakenham 40
- Park Orchards 4
- Parkdale 5
- Parkville 4
- Pascoe Vale 14
- Pascoe Vale South 7
- Patterson Lakes 3
- Pearcedale 3
- Plumpton 1
- Point Cook 39
- Port Melbourne 8
- Prahran 5
- Preston 29
- Preston West 2
- Ravenhall 3
- Research 5
- Reservoir 27
- Reservoir North 1
- Richmond 18
- Richmond North 1
- Ringwood 17
- Ringwood East 10
- Ringwood North 7
- Rockbank 5
- Rosanna 11
- Rosebud 9
- Rosebud West 1
- Rowville 22
- Roxburgh Park 12
- Rye 2
- Sanctuary Lakes 1
- Sandhurst 1
- Sandringham 11
- Sassafras 2
- Scoresby 4
- Seabrook 2
- Seaford 16
- Seaford North 1
- Seaholme 1
- Selby 2
- Seville 2
- Silvan 1
- Skye 1
- Somers 2
- Somerville 8
- Sorrento 2
- South Kingsville 3
- South Melbourne 7
- South Morang 15
- South Wharf 1
- South Yarra 8
- Southbank 6
- Spotswood 4
- Springvale 13
- Springvale South 19
- St Albans 27
- St Albans North 1
- St Andrews Beach 1
- St Helena 2
- St Kilda 11
- St Kilda East 11
- Strathmore 8
- Strathtulloh 2
- Sunbury 32
- Sunshine 14
- Sunshine North 8
- Sunshine West 12
- Surrey Hills 13
- Sydenham 12
- Syndal 2
- Tarneit 50
- Tarneit North 1
- Taylors Hill 7
- Taylors Lakes 7
- Tecoma 3
- Templestowe 10
- Templestowe Lower 13
- The Basin 3
- The Patch 2
- Thomastown 15
- Thornbury 17
- Thornhill Park 8
- Toolern Vale 2
- Tooradin 3
- Toorak 10
- Tootgarook 4
- Truganina 30
- Tullamarine 5
- Tyabb 5
- Upper Ferntree Gully 2
- Upper Plenty 1
- Upwey 5
- Upwey South 1
- Vermont 8
- Vermont South 10
- Viewbank 4
- Wallan 17
- Wandin North 3
- Wandong 3
- Wantirna 10
- Wantirna South 22
- Warburton 2
- Warrandyte 4
- Warranwood 5
- Watsonia 9
- Watsonia North 1
- Wattle Glen 1
- Weir Views 7
- Werribee 53
- Werribee South 3
- Wesburn 1
- West Footscray 6
- West Melbourne 2
- West Melton 4
- Westmeadows 4
- Wheelers Hill 17
- Whittlesea 5
- Williams Landing 7
- Williamstown 10
- Windsor 3
- Wollert 24
- Wonga Park 2
- Woori Yallock 4
- Wyndham Vale 19
- Yallambie 3
- Yarra Junction 6
- Yarrambat 5
- Yarraville 9
Frequently asked questions
How many childcare centres are there in Melbourne?
There are 3,616 approved childcare services in the Melbourne urban area, including 1,663 that offer long day care and 1,167 that offer before and after school care. Many services offer more than one type of care.
How much does childcare cost in Melbourne?
Long day care in Victoria averaged $14.65 an hour in the June quarter 2026, about $147 for a 10-hour day before the Child Care Subsidy. A family earning $120,000 pays about $23 a day after the subsidy. Fees vary by centre, so check each service directly.
How many Melbourne childcare services are rated Exceeding?
830 of the 3,388 rated services in Melbourne (24%) are rated Exceeding the National Quality Standard or Excellent, compared with 18% across Australia.
Which Melbourne suburbs have the most childcare?
Werribee (53), Craigieburn (52) and Tarneit (50) have the most approved services in Melbourne.
Services and ratings: ACECQA National Registers, export of 29 October 2026. City boundary: ABS Significant Urban Area (Melbourne), ASGS Edition 3 (2021), matched to services by postcode. Fees: Department of Education, Child Care Subsidy data report, June quarter 2026.