What are the main types of childcare in Australia?

The main early childhood education and care service types are long day care, preschool or kindergarten, outside school hours care, family day care, and in-home care. Most of these are regulated under the National Quality Framework, while in-home care is administered separately as a Child Care Subsidy program for families who cannot access mainstream care.

Which childcare service types are regulated under the National Quality Framework?

Most long day care, preschool or kindergarten, family day care, and outside school hours care services are regulated under the National Quality Framework, which generally means Provider and Service Approval under the National Law. In-home care is administered differently, as a subsidy program. Confirm how your particular service is treated with your state or territory regulatory authority.

What is the difference between long day care and family day care?

Long day care operates from a single approved centre with staff employed at that site. Family day care is delivered by educators from their own homes or approved venues, in small groups, under an approved provider and service that recruits, supports and monitors them. Both are generally regulated under the National Quality Framework.

Childcare Service Types in Australia: What's the Difference?

In short: Australia's main early childhood education and care service types are long day care, preschool or kindergarten, outside school hours care, family day care and in-home care. Most are regulated under the National Quality Framework, while in-home care is administered separately as a Child Care Subsidy program. Each differs in what it is, where care happens and who it serves.

Australia’s early childhood education and care sector is made up of several distinct service types: long day care, preschool or kindergarten, outside school hours care, family day care, and in-home care. Most are regulated under the National Quality Framework and require Provider and Service Approval under the National Law, while in-home care is administered separately as a Child Care Subsidy program. They differ mainly in what they are, where care happens, and who they serve. This guide sets them side by side so you can see how they fit together.

The main service types at a glance

The table below summarises the core differences. Ages and typical use vary by state or territory and by service, so treat these as a general guide and confirm specifics with your state or territory regulatory authority.

Service type	What it is	Where care happens	Typical ages and use
Long day care (LDC)	Centre-based education and care, usually for a full day	A single approved centre premises	Generally children before school age; full-day, working-family use
Preschool or kindergarten	An early learning program in the year or years before school	A preschool, kindergarten or centre setting	Generally children in the year or two before starting school
Outside school hours care (OSHC)	Care around the school day and holidays	On or near school grounds	School-age children; before school, after school and vacation care
Family day care (FDC)	Care delivered by educators in home-based settings	Educators’ own homes or approved venues	Often from birth to school age, and sometimes school-age care, in small groups
In-home care (IHC)	A targeted subsidy program with care in the child’s home	The child’s own home	Families who cannot access mainstream care due to their circumstances

Long day care

Long day care (LDC) is the model most people picture when they think of childcare: a centre, open for extended hours, where children attend for full or part days. It operates from a single approved premises with staff employed to work at that site, and it is generally regulated under the National Quality Framework (NQF), which means Provider Approval and a Service Approval under the National Law. Because families often use it around full working days, occupancy and program quality are central to how it operates. Our guide on how to open a childcare centre in Australia covers the LDC pathway in depth.

Preschool or kindergarten

Preschool, also called kindergarten in some states and territories, refers to an early learning program in the year or years immediately before a child starts school. The terminology and delivery vary across jurisdictions: in some places preschool is delivered within long day care centres, and in others through standalone settings. Many preschool programs are covered by the NQF. Because the arrangements differ so much by state and territory, it is worth confirming how preschool is structured and regulated where you operate.

Outside school hours care

Outside school hours care (OSHC) serves school-age children around the school day: before school, after school, and during the holidays as vacation care. It usually operates on or near school grounds, either run by the school itself as the approved provider or by a third-party provider under an arrangement with the school. Most OSHC is regulated under the NQF, so it generally needs Provider and Service Approval. Our provider’s guide to OSHC explains the models, school agreements and operational realities.

Family day care

Family day care (FDC) is delivered by individual educators from their own homes, or approved venues, usually to small groups of children. Rather than operating independently, the educators work under a single approved provider and an approved FDC service that recruits, registers, supports and monitors them. It is generally regulated under the NQF, so the provider needs Provider Approval and a Service Approval for the FDC service. The distinctive challenge is coordinating and monitoring a dispersed network of homes rather than one building. Our guide on becoming an approved Family Day Care provider sets out the pathway.

In-home care

In-home care (IHC) is the outlier. It is a targeted Australian Government program in which an approved educator provides care in the child’s own home, intended for families who genuinely cannot access mainstream approved care because of their circumstances, such as non-standard working hours, geographic isolation, or complex needs. Crucially, it is administered differently from the others: it operates as a Child Care Subsidy program delivered through approved in-home care providers, rather than through the same NQF provider and service approval pathway. Our guide on how In-Home Care works explains the model and how it differs from a private nanny.

How they connect: approvals and subsidy

Two threads run through most of these service types.

The first is approval under the National Law. For long day care, family day care, outside school hours care and much of preschool, operating lawfully generally means holding Provider Approval (which authorises you or your entity) and a Service Approval (which authorises the specific service). Our guides on how to get Provider Approval and Provider Approval vs Service Approval explain that foundation. In-home care is the exception, administered as a subsidy program rather than through that pathway.

The second is the Child Care Subsidy (CCS). For families to receive subsidy support, services generally need CCS approval, which is separate from approval under the National Law. Our guide on how to apply for CCS approval covers that step. In-home care is delivered as a CCS program in its own right.

Choosing the right model

There is no single best service type. The right choice depends on the community you want to serve, the site or setting you have, the demand in your area, and your appetite for the operational model each involves. A centre, a home-based network and a school-hours service are very different businesses to run, even though they share a regulatory backbone.

If you are weighing up which model suits your goals, we can help you compare the options, understand the approvals each requires, and build a plan that fits your situation. Get in touch with our team, or explore our licensing and accreditation support to see how we guide operators from first decision through to approval.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Most of these service types are regulated under the National Law by your state or territory regulatory authority, while in-home care and subsidy arrangements are administered separately by the Australian Government. Confirm the requirements that apply to your service before acting.