Types of child care
Centre based services | Home based services
Working out the type of child care service that you need can be very confusing. Centre based services may describe themselves in a number of ways, including as long day care centres, limited hours or occasional care centres, kindergartens, preschools, early education centres and early learning centres. The following explanations will assist you.
Centre based services
A centre based service provides care and education for children up to school age (birth to 12 years). The following describes the types of centre based services available:
- Long day care centres are licensed services and are usually open Monday to Friday between 7am and 6pm for at least 48 weeks of the year.
- Kindergartens are licensed services and provide care and education for children from three years to school age, and operate for not more than six hours each school day.
- Limited hours care services are licensed services and operate for no longer than 20 hours in a week.
- School age care services offer care for (mainly) primary school age children before and after school and during school vacations. School age care services are becoming licensed for the first time in Queensland under the Child Care Act 2002 and the Child Care Regulation 2003. Services existing prior to 1 September 2003 have until 1 September 2005 to apply to the Department for a licence. Services established after 1 September 2003 will need to be licensed before beginning to operate.
Home based services
A home based service provides care for a small group of children in one or more homes. This form of care does not include care in the child's own home or care for relatives.
- Family day care is licensed care that is offered in private homes of carers.
Last updated: 02 July 2008.