Essential Questions to Ask When Choosing a Childcare
Posted June 24th 2026
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Choosing a childcare centre is one of the biggest decisions parents make during their child's early years. Beyond finding a convenient location, families want to feel confident that their child will be safe, supported, nurtured, and given opportunities to learn and grow every day.
With so many childcare options available now, knowing what questions to ask can help you make an informed decision and find a centre that aligns with your family's values and needs. Touring a childcare centre is a great way to ask some of these questions, as well as explore the learning environments, meeting the educators, and observing interactions between staff and children. This will help you gain a deeper understanding of the centre's approach to early learning, and whether it is the right fit for you.
By asking the right questions during your tour, you can feel more confident in choosing a centre where your child will thrive.
Before visiting childcare centres, it can be helpful to consider what matters most to your family. Every family has different needs, and understanding your priorities can make it easier to find the right fit.
Some important factors to consider might include:
Location
Is the centre conveniently located near your home, workplace, or daily commute and won’t add significant time to drop offs and pick-ups?
Budget
What are the centres fees, and how do they fit within your family's budget? Are there any additional admin fees or costs for excursions, incursions, or extracurricular programs?
Operating Hours
Do the centre's opening and closing times suit your work schedule and family routine?
Meals and Nutrition
Does the centre provide meals, and if so, are they nutritious, balanced, and suitable for your child's dietary requirements?
Educational Programs
What learning programs are offered? Do they align with your expectations and support your child's interests, development, and school readiness?
Taking time to identify these priorities before your centre tours can help you ask more meaningful questions and make comparisons between.
In Australia, childcare centres are assessed against the National Quality Standard (NQS), which measures the quality of education and care provided across several important areas, including educational programs, children's health and safety, staffing arrangements, relationships with children, and governance.
Centres receive a quality rating that reflects their performance against these standards. Reviewing a centre's rating before your visit can provide valuable insight into the quality of care and education offered.
You can find a rating for any centre on the Starting blocks website here: Home | Early Childhood Education & Care | StartingBlocks.gov.au
When you tour a centre, you can also ask about their rating and how they continuously improve their programs and practices to support positive outcomes for children and families.
A child's safety and wellbeing should always be a top priority when choosing a childcare centre. Families should feel reassured that proper policies, procedures, and practices are in place to keep children safe, healthy, and supported throughout the day.
When touring a centre, consider asking the following questions:
What safety procedures are in place?
Ask how the centre maintains a safe environment, including their supervision practices, visitor management, emergency procedures, and daily safety checks.
How are illnesses and medical emergencies managed?
Understanding how educators respond and manage a child’s illness, accidents, injuries, and medical emergencies can help give you confidence that your child will be well cared for.
How are allergies handled?
If your child has allergies or dietary requirements, ask about allergy management plans, food preparation procedures, and how they minimise risks.
What are your child protection policies?
Child protection is an essential part of quality childcare. Ask how educators are trained to identify and respond to concerns and how the centre promotes child safety.
What is your incident procedure?
Understanding how incidents are documented, communicated, and followed up with families can help you feel informed and reassured about the centre's approach to transparency and care if an incident were to happen.
As you tour a childcare centre, there are several visible indicators that can provide reassurance about safety and wellbeing practices.
Look for:
Educators play a vital role in creating a safe, nurturing, and engaging environment where children can learn, develop confidence, and build meaningful relationships. A strong team of qualified and experienced educators helps ensure children receive consistent and high quality care, as well as the support they need to thrive during their early years.
When touring a centre, asking questions about the educators and staff can provide valuable insight into the quality of care and education your child will receive.
Consider asking the following questions:
Qualified and Experienced Educators
Educators should hold relevant early childhood qualifications, and have the knowledge and skills to support children's learning, development, and wellbeing.
Consistent Educators and Low Staff Turnover
Long-term staff members help create a sense of familiarity and security for children. Consistent relationships support children's emotional wellbeing and allow educators to better understand each child's individual needs.
Warm and Positive Interactions
Observe how educators engage with children. Look for genuine, respectful, and caring interactions where educators actively listen, encourage curiosity, and support children's confidence and independence.
Commitment to Professional Development
High-quality centres invest in ongoing training and development for their teams. This ensures educators stay up to date with best practices, current research, and evolving approaches to early childhood education.
A childcare centre plays an important role in supporting your child’s learning and development during their most formative years. Understanding how a centre approaches learning and development can help you determine whether it aligns with your family's values and your child's individual needs.
When visiting a centre, asking questions about their educational programs and teaching practices can provide valuable insight into how they support children's growth and learning.
These questions might include:
Play-Based Learning Opportunities
Play is one of the most effective ways young children learn. Look for centres that provide a balance of structured and child-led experiences that encourage exploration, creativity, problem-solving, and social development.
Learning Materials and Evidence of Learning
Quality centres often display children's work, learning, and examples of educational experiences. This provides insight into how learning is planned, assessed, and extended based on children's interests and developmental goals.
A Safe and Warm Learning Environment
Look for welcoming learning spaces that encourage curiosity, foster positive relationships, and provide opportunities and adequate resources for children to learn at their own pace.
School Readiness Programs
If your child is approaching school age, ask about school readiness programs and initiatives. Effective programs help children develop important skills for their transitioning into schooling such as independence, confidence, communication, early literacy and numeracy, emotional regulation, and group participation.
Daily routines play an important role in a child’s wellbeing, learning, and development. Consistent routines help children feel safe, secure, and confident because they know what to expect throughout the day. A well-balanced routine should include opportunities for learning, play, rest, meals, and social interaction, while remaining flexible enough to meet the individual needs of each child.
Understanding a centre’s daily routine can help families determine whether the environment will support their child's comfort, happiness, and overall development.
Questions you might consider asking include:
A Calm and Comfortable Resting Space
Rest and relaxation are important for young children. Look for quiet, inviting spaces where children can nap, rest, or simply take a break when needed.
Safe and Secure Outdoor Play Areas
Outdoor play is essential for children's physical development, wellbeing, and exploration. Look for outdoor environments that are safe, engaging, and offer a variety of opportunities for active play, nature experiences, and skill development.
Visible Daily Routine Information
Many quality centres display daily schedules or routine information throughout the learning environment. This helps families understand how children's days are structured and provides reassurance that they’re receiving a balance of meals, rest, learning and play time.
Responsive and Supportive Care Practices
Ask how educators support children who may be feeling upset, anxious, or unsettled. This will give you an idea of the type of nurturing strategies they might have in place to help children feel comfortable in their environment.
Strong communication between families and educators is essential for creating a positive and supportive early learning experience. Open communication helps families stay informed about their child's day, development, achievements, and wellbeing. A strong partnership between home and childcare creates consistency and supports better outcomes for children.
When visiting a childcare centre, it's important to understand how information is shared and how families are involved in their child's learning journey.
Questions to ask might include:
Parent Communication Apps
Many childcare centres use parent apps to share real-time updates, photos, learning stories, sleep information, meals, and important announcements. These platforms help families stay connected throughout the day.
Regular Daily Updates
Look for centres that provide consistent communication about your child's experiences, wellbeing, learning, meals, sleep, and social interactions.
Strong Family Partnerships
High-quality centres value families as partners in children's learning and development. Educators should encourage open conversations, welcome family feedback, and work collaboratively with families to support each child's growth and wellbeing.
Nutrition plays a vital role in supporting children's growth, development and overall wellbeing. Understanding a centre's approach to nutrition can help families feel confident that their child will receive nutritious meals that support healthy eating habits.
When touring a childcare centre, asking questions about meals and nutrition can provide valuable insight into the quality of food and mealtime experiences offered.
Questions to ask might include:
Welcoming Eating Areas
Look for clean, comfortable, and inviting spaces where children can enjoy meals together and develop positive relationships with food.
Nutrition Information and Sample Menus
Does the centre have a menu displayed? Quality centres are transparent about the meals they provide and are happy to share menus and information about how they meet children's nutritional needs.
An Onsite Kitchen and Chef
If meals are prepared onsite by a dedicated chef or cook, ask to learn more about the kitchen and meal preparation process, and how they ensure meals are fresh, nutritious, and tailored to children's needs.
Understanding childcare fees, enrolment processes, and available government funding is an important part of choosing the right childcare centre. Having a clear understanding of costs and subsidy entitlements can help families plan financially and avoid unexpected expenses. It also ensures families receive all funding and support they may be eligible for through the Child Care Subsidy (CCS).
Before enrolling, take the time to ask questions about fees, inclusions, and enrolment requirements so you can make an informed decision.
Questions to ask include:
1. How Do Educators Interact with Children?
The way educators interact with children is a great indicator of the centres culture, and approach to high-quality early learning and care.
Look for educators who:
Positive relationships between educators and children help create a secure environment where children feel safe, valued, and confident to learn.
2. Do Children Appear Engaged and Happy?
Children's behaviour can provide valuable clues about how comfortable they feel within the centre.
Look for children who:
While every child has different personalities and moods, a positive atmosphere where children are engaged and enjoying their experiences is a good sign.
3. Is the Environment Clean and Welcoming?
A childcare centre should feel safe, organised, and inviting from the moment you walk through the door.
Look for:
4. Does the Centre Feel Right for Your Family?
Beyond facilities and programs, it's important to consider whether the centre aligns with your family's values, expectations, and goals for your child's early education.
Ask yourself:
Sometimes, choosing the right childcare centre comes down to how the environment makes you feel. Trust your instincts and consider whether the centre feels like a place where your child will be supported and nurtured.
At Aspire Early Education, we pride ourselves on providing high quality early learning and care and are driven to inspire and nurture every child to their full potential. We have a network of centres throughout Victoria, Western Australia, and New South Wales, making it easy for families to access care.
Our qualified and passionate educators deliver engaging play-based education programs guided by the Early Years Learning Framework, supporting each child's learning, development, and wellbeing.
We value strong communication and meaningful partnerships with families through regular events, daily updates via Storypark, and ongoing collaboration.
Children enjoy nutritious meals prepared fresh daily, while learning in safe, purpose-built indoor and outdoor environments designed to inspire exploration and discovery.
From the initial enquiry through to commencement, we aim to make the enrolment process smooth and welcoming, including opportunities for children and families to participate in orientations and stay and play sessions before starting care.
At Aspire, we are here to help your family every step of the way, and ensure your family’s childcare journey is as positive as possible.
Choosing a childcare centre is an important decision, and every family has different priorities when finding the right fit. Taking the time to tour centres, attend stay-and-play sessions, and ask questions can help you gain valuable insight into the environment, educators, and daily experiences your child will enjoy.
Ultimately, the best childcare centre is one where your child feels safe, supported, and excited to learn, while also aligning with your family's values and needs. Trust your instincts and choose a centre where both you and your child feel comfortable, confident, and ready for the journey ahead.
If you liked this article, we also have a range of other resources that provide education and tips for parents. Check out some of them below:
