Australian Childcare Quality Map
Every approved childcare service mapped nationally, colour-coded by NQS quality rating. Filter by rating level or service type, zoom into a suburb, or click any centre for details.
17,552total services
23Excellent
3,083Exceeding
12,011Meeting
1,311Working Towards
10Sig. Improvement
1,114Not Assessed
19%rated Exceeding or above
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Frequently asked questions
- What is an NQS rating?
- The National Quality Standard (NQS) is Australia's benchmark for early childhood education and care quality, assessed by ACECQA (Australian Children's Education & Care Quality Authority). Services are rated across seven quality areas — educational program, children's health & safety, physical environment, staffing arrangements, relationships with children, collaborative partnerships with families and communities, and governance & leadership. The overall rating is: Excellent (top tier, assessed on application), Exceeding NQS, Meeting NQS, Working Towards NQS, or Significant Improvement Required.
- How many childcare centres are there in Australia?
- There are more than 18,000 approved childcare services across Australia, covering Long Day Care (LDC), Preschool and Kindergarten, Outside School Hours Care (OSHC), Family Day Care, and In Home Care. The majority are Long Day Care centres, which provide full-day care for children aged 0–5. Coverage is heaviest in NSW, VIC and QLD, reflecting population distribution.
- What does Exceeding NQS mean?
- A rating of Exceeding NQS means the service is meeting all the requirements of the National Quality Standard and going beyond the standard in at least two of the seven quality areas. It is the second-highest rating (below Excellent) and indicates a high-quality service. Around a third of all assessed services in Australia hold an Exceeding rating.
- How do I find quality childcare near me?
- Use the SuburbCheck Childcare Map to zoom into your suburb and filter by NQS rating. Enable only 'Excellent' and 'Exceeding NQS' to highlight the highest-rated services in your area. Click any marker for the service name, address, approved places and provider details. You can also view the childcare section on any suburb profile page to see how many Exceeding-or-above services are in that suburb.
- Why do some services show as 'Not Yet Assessed'?
- New services, recently approved services, and some Family Day Care and In Home Care providers may not yet have been assessed against the NQS. Services operating under transitional arrangements are also not rated. ACECQA re-assesses services periodically, so ratings on this map may not reflect very recent assessments. Always verify a service's current rating directly with ACECQA or your state childcare regulator.