Family day care near me
Family day care is approved childcare in a registered educator's home: one educator, up to 7 children, no more than 4 of them preschool age or under, for children from birth to 12. Every educator belongs to a family day care scheme. Find the nearest of Australia's 359 approved schemes below, then ask the scheme which educators have places near you.
The finder shows scheme offices, not educators' homes. In the ACECQA national register, a family day care service is the scheme: an approved provider with an office address. Its educators work from their own homes across the area the scheme covers, and the register does not list them. A scheme based a few suburbs away can have an educator in your street, so contact more than one.
How to find a family day care educator
- List the schemes near you. Use your location in the finder above. Note every scheme within a reasonable drive, not only the closest office.
- Call or email each scheme. Give your suburb, the days and hours you need, your child's age and your start date. Ask which educators have a vacancy near home or work.
- Check the scheme's rating on its page here. The rating covers the whole scheme, including every educator in it.
- Visit the educator's home during care hours and meet the coordinator. Use the questions further down this page.
- Enrol through the scheme. The scheme is the approved provider, so your enrolment, Child Care Subsidy claims and fee statements run through it.
Family Day Care Australia, the sector's national peak body, runs a family day care search on its website. Use it beside the scheme list above.
What family day care is
Family day care is a type of approved childcare delivered in an educator's own home, or an approved venue, to a small group of children of mixed ages. It operates under the same National Quality Framework as long day care: an educational program, qualified educators, enforced ratios and a quality rating against the National Quality Standard.
The scheme employs a coordinator who makes regular visits to each educator's home to give guidance on the regulations. New family day care educators must hold an approved certificate III level (or higher) education and care qualification before they start, and every coordinator must hold an approved diploma level qualification. Educators must meet first aid requirements as well.
Family day care takes children from birth to 12 years. Babies, toddlers and school-age siblings can be in the same group with the same educator, which a centre with age-based rooms does not offer.
Group size and ratio limits
The ratio in family day care is 1 educator to 7 children, set by the National Regulations.
| Rule | Limit |
|---|---|
| Children per educator at one time | 7 |
| Of those, children preschool age or under | 4 |
| Educator's own children | Counted in the 7 when under 13 and no other adult is caring for them |
| Extra educators at the same home | Cannot be added to raise the number of children |
Some educators work with an assistant, mostly to drive children or to collect school-age children while the younger ones are cared for. An assistant does not lift the 7 child limit. Centre ratios work differently and change with age; see childcare ratios.
Hours and flexibility
Family day care hours vary from educator to educator. Some family day care runs on weekends, overnight or during school holidays. The hours shown against a scheme in the register are not a guide to any one educator's hours, so ask the scheme.
Family day care fees and the Child Care Subsidy
Family day care averaged $13.95 an hour in the June quarter 2026, $0.65 less than long day care. The Child Care Subsidy pays a percentage of the lower of your fee and the family day care hourly cap, which is $14.08 in 2026-27 (from 6 July 2026). The average fee sits under that cap, so on an average fee the subsidy applies to every dollar charged.
| Family day care | Long day care | |
|---|---|---|
| Average hourly fee | $13.95 | $14.60 |
| Hourly cap, below school age | $14.08 | $15.19 |
| Fee for the day | $139.50 | $146.00 |
| Child Care Subsidy | $117.18 | $122.64 |
| You pay (gap fee) | $22.32 | $23.36 |
The gap between the two is $1.04 a day at these averages, because the subsidy absorbs most of the difference in fees. The family day care cap is the same for school-age children, $14.08 an hour, while the centre-based cap for school-age children drops to $13.30. Work out your own figure with the CCS calculator, or read how the Child Care Subsidy works.
Family day care by state
There are 359 approved family day care schemes on the national register. New South Wales has the most, with 122, followed by Victoria with 110. Each scheme can have many educators, so these counts are schemes, not homes.
| State or territory | Family day care schemes | All childcare |
|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | 122 | Childcare in NSW |
| Victoria | 110 | Childcare in VIC |
| Queensland | 81 | Childcare in QLD |
| Western Australia | 27 | Childcare in WA |
| South Australia | 7 | Childcare in SA |
| Tasmania | 5 | Childcare in TAS |
| Australian Capital Territory | 4 | Childcare in ACT |
| Northern Territory | 3 | Childcare in NT |
How family day care schemes are rated
Family day care schemes are assessed against the National Quality Standard like every other approved service, and one rating covers the whole scheme. Of 302 rated schemes, 6% are rated Exceeding the NQS or Excellent, against 18% of all 17,165 rated services. 17% of rated schemes are Working Towards the NQS, against 7% of all services. 57 schemes have no rating yet, usually because they are new.
| Overall rating | Family day care | Share | All services |
|---|---|---|---|
| Excellent | 0 | 0% | 0% |
| Exceeding the NQS | 18 | 6% | 18% |
| Meeting the NQS | 231 | 76% | 75% |
| Working Towards the NQS | 51 | 17% | 7% |
| Significant Improvement Required | 2 | 1% | 0% |
A scheme's rating tells you how well its systems, coordinators and educators met the standard when assessed. It does not rate the one educator your child would go to, so the home visit matters more here than in a centre. Read how quality ratings work.
Choosing a family day care educator
Ask the scheme
- How often does the coordinator visit this educator's home, and what do they check?
- What happens when the educator is sick or on leave? Can my child visit the backup educator's home first?
- How long has the educator been with the scheme, and what qualification do they hold?
- What does the fee include, and what are the scheme's own levies or administration fees?
Ask the educator
- Who else lives in or visits the home during care hours?
- How many children, and of what ages, are booked on my child's days?
- Which playgroups, libraries or outings do you go to, and how often? How do you transport children?
- Where do children sleep, eat and play outside? Can I see those spaces?
- Are meals and nappies included, or do I supply them?
Family day care or long day care?
Family day care suits families who want one consistent educator, a small group and a home setting. Long day care suits families who want a team of educators, age-based rooms and set centre hours.
| Family day care | Long day care | |
|---|---|---|
| Group | Up to 7 children of mixed ages, one educator | Larger groups, often in rooms by age, several educators |
| Siblings | Can stay together, including school-age children | Usually in different rooms; school-age children go elsewhere |
| When the educator is away | Your child may go to another educator's home | A casual educator may cover in the same centre |
| Hours | Vary by educator; some offer weekends or overnight care | Centre hours, typically Monday to Friday |
| Average fee | $13.95 an hour | $14.60 an hour |
| Rated Exceeding or Excellent | 6% of rated schemes | 16% of rated services |
Compare every type of care, including preschool and outside school hours care, in types of childcare. Getting a place takes planning in both: see childcare waitlists.
Frequently asked questions
How many children can a family day care educator look after?
A family day care educator can care for up to 7 children at a time, and no more than 4 of them can be preschool age or under. The educator's own children under 13 count towards the 7 when no other adult is there to care for them.
Is family day care cheaper than long day care?
Family day care averaged $13.95 an hour in the June quarter 2026, against $14.60 for long day care. After the Child Care Subsidy, a family earning $120,000 pays about $22.32 for a 10-hour day of family day care and $23.36 for long day care.
Does the Child Care Subsidy cover family day care?
Yes. Approved family day care attracts the Child Care Subsidy. In 2026-27 the subsidy is worked out on the lower of the hourly fee and the family day care cap of $14.08 an hour, the same cap for every age.
What age is family day care for?
Family day care takes children from birth to 12 years. School-age children can attend outside school hours, in the same small mixed-age group.
What qualifications do family day care educators need?
New family day care educators must hold an approved certificate III level (or higher) education and care qualification before they start, and must meet first aid requirements. Scheme coordinators must hold an approved diploma level qualification.
What happens when my family day care educator is sick or on leave?
Your child may be cared for by another educator from the same scheme, in a different home or venue. Educators often plan leave in advance, and good schemes arrange visits to the other educator's home beforehand.
How do I find a family day care educator near me?
Find the schemes near you with the finder on this page, then call each scheme and ask which of its educators have places in your area on the days you need. Visit the educator's home before you enrol.
Scheme counts and ratings: ACECQA National Registers, export of 29 October 2026. Fees: Department of Education, Child Care Subsidy data report, June quarter 2026. Hourly caps: Department of Education, 2026-27, from 6 July 2026. Ratios: ACECQA, educator to child ratios. Qualifications: ACECQA, qualifications for family day care services. Ages, coordinators, assistants and leave: Starting Blocks, types of services and choosing between family day care and long day care, read October 2026.