About Child Care
In Victoria, all services that provide education or care for four or more children under the age of 13 years for a fee and in the absence of their parents or guardians must be licensed - this includes long day care centres, occasional care centres, kindergartens, outside school hours care and family day care.
Licensing ensures that all child care services comply with a strict and comprehensive minimum standards of service and safety requirements.
Licensed children’s services are required to employ certain qualified staff and provide developmentally appropriate programs based on the needs, interests and experiences of each child.
The types of child care available include:
For more information, see:
- Welcome to Early Childhood Services - this contains information for parents about sending their child to child care and kindergarten.
- Parent Complaints - Child Care or Children's Services - this has information to assist parents when addressing concerns or making a complaint that is related to a children's service
The requirements for licensing and regulation of a children's service in Victoria are outlined in:
- the Children's Services Act 1996 (the Act), and;
- the Children’s Services Regulations 2009 (Regulations).
For detailed information on the licensing or operation of a children’s service, see: Licensed Children’s Services