Buildings and facilities
New services | Existing licensed services | School age care services | Other building and facility requirements
One of the key objectives of the Child Care Act 2002 (the Act) is to address perceived duplication between the agencies involved in setting standards for licensed child care services. One of the areas of duplication identified is the building standards for child care centres.
To avoid this duplication, the building requirements for child care centres do not appear in the Act and instead are incorporated into the Building Act 1975.
Local authorities are responsible for ensuring that child care centres are constructed in accordance with the building standards. Individuals planning to build and operate child care centres should still, however refer to the Department of Communities for information relevant to the licensing and operation of a child care centre.
The building standards are based on the building requirements in the Child Care (Child Care Centres) Regulation 1991.
The building requirements for child care centres are expressed as performance based standards. The standards contain acceptable solutions that meet the performance criteria. Individuals who do not wish to use the 'acceptable solution' proposed in the standards can offer alternative solutions. The Department of Communities will determine whether the 'alternative solution' meets the performance criteria and is acceptable. Please refer to Child Care Form 21 – Application for an alternative solution and the supplementary forms 21a, 21b and 21c. For further information refer to Child Care Forms
New services
Child care centres seeking to obtain a licence under the Act have to demonstrate compliance with the standards in the building legislation, set out in MP 5.4: Child Care Centres of the Queensland Development Code: Child Care Centres (previously Part 22) which is referenced by the Building Regulation 2006.Services can do this by supplying a copy of the certificate of classification provided by a registered building certifier with their application for a new licence.
Existing licensed services
If an existing licensed service undertakes renovations that require development approval, the building works will be assessed against the building standards version applicable at the time of lodgement of building approval.If at any time the Chief Executive is concerned that the licensee is no longer meeting one or all of the building standards, the Chief Executive may require the licensee of an existing service to provide evidence from a building certifier that the building meets the required building standards (Section 143 of the Act).
School age care services
The standards contain specific building requirements for school age care services, based on the National Standards for Outside School Hours Care and include indoor and outdoor space requirements, the number of toilets required and kitchen/food preparation requirements.
School age care services that existed immediately prior to commencement of the Child Care Act 2002 must comply with the building standards by 1 September 2008.
Other building and facility requirements
Building and facility requirements other than the standards contained within the Queensland Development Code: Child Care Centres (MP5.4) form part of the Building Act 1975 and are contained in the Child Care Regulation 2003.There are specific requirements for licensed centre based and licensed home based care. The types of requirements detailed include bedding, telephone, refrigerators and laundry facilities. There is also a general requirement to ensure that the centre or home has all the facilities that are adequate and appropriate for children who use the centre or home.
For further information, contact the Child Care Information Service.
Last updated: 23 June 2008.