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10 of the Best Daycare Centres in Australia in 2025
Choosing the right daycare centre is one of the most important decisions parents make in their child’s early years. Beyond simply being a place of care, the right environment helps children feel safe, supported, and inspired to learn and grow. For many families, the key considerations when choosing a daycare centre are things like; qualified and caring educators, a strong focus on early learning programs, a safe and stimulating environment, nutritious meals, flexible hours, and transparent communication with parents. Location, affordability, and a sense of community often play a big role too.
For more help, you can check out our ultimate guide to getting ready for daycare.
Check out the List of Best Childcare and Daycare Centres in Australia in 2025:
With so many options available across Australia, it’s worth taking the time to do your research. Every child has unique needs, and every family has different priorities—whether that’s a centre with a play-based curriculum, bilingual education, or smaller class sizes for more individual attention. Comparing centres, reading reviews, and visiting in person can make all the difference in finding a daycare that not only fits your lifestyle but also supports your child’s development during these formative years.
In this article, we’ve rounded up 10 of the best childcare and daycare centres in Australia to give you a detailed snapshot of some reputable options to help make your decision easier.
What makes Story House Early Learning a childcare option worth considering?
So much more than just child-minding, Story House Early Learning services provide quality education and care across 60+ centres. Their high-quality early learning programs take place in purpose-built spaces designed to nurture curiosity, confidence and connection.
Innovation and safety are also key focuses. From digital safety checks to modern compliance systems, Story House leads the way in combining innovation with child safety and care excellence.
The ethos at Story House is quality and care, which is why their educators are paid above award rate, and the meals served are both nourishing and delicious. They work tirelessly to provide safe, nurturing spaces with some of the best facilities available in the country.
What sets Story House Early Learning apart from other childcare services?
A people-first approach! The Story House Early Learning philosophy is about community and connection; treating their team members as people, not numbers. The incredible hand-chosen educators are supported through award winning wellbeing programs, recognition initiatives, and clear growth pathways, because happy, supported educators means happy, nurtured children.
Story House embed their services in local communities and proudly honour Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, including Acknowledgement of Country and a RAP across all services.
A certified Great Place to Work for 2023, 2024 & 2025, Story House is recognised nationally for creating a supportive, inclusive, and high-quality childcare experience for families and educators alike.
Real client reviews:
"My little one comes home learning new things everyday. Other than developing important skills and cognitive functions, she’s taught how to share, how to be kind, mannerisms and a lot more. - Leanne Myugen, Forest Lake"
"Great childcare, great educators. My daughter is attending the Center since last December and she is happy with everything. Thanks a lot to everyone! - Gina Carafella, Epping"
What makes Only About Children Early Learning a daycare option worth considering?
Only About Children is a purpose-led provider of early years education and childcare with over a decade of experience in the Australian market. Only About Children is owned by Bright Horizons, a leading global provider of high-quality early education and childcare, backup care, and workplace education services.
It’s these things that help to empower every child to reach their full potential through a passion for learning.
What sets Only About Children Early Learning apart from other daycare centres?
Only About Children proudly operates over 80 campuses across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. This breadth alone gives them the opportunity to provide high-quality early years education and care to over 8,000 families, whilst employing over 2,000 people, whose skills, experience and passion help them to deliver on their mission to empower every child to reach their full potential.
Real client reviews:
"We love the care and attention the staff provide - every educator knows and cares for our child. There are a range of engaging outdoor spaces and enriching learning activities every day, with excellent leadership and a strong, supportive team. We couldn’t ask for more. - El Martin"
What makes Montessori Academy a daycare option worth considering?
Montessori Academy has been inspiring confident, courageous, independent learners since 2000. Founded in the year 2000 by husband and wife, Charles and Colette Assaf, Montessori Academy was created to provide families with a high-quality alternative to play-based childcare.
At Montessori Academy, the guiding philosophy is to nurture the uniqueness of each child while respecting their individual, cultural, and family background. The team do this through positive interactions with students, their families, and the Montessori team. Evidence of this is shown through the Montessori education program, which is the structure of the educational teams, and through the prepared learning environments.
What sets Montessori Academy apart from other daycare centres?
Montessori is a holistic approach to education that is scientifically based on how children learn during early childhood. It focuses on educating the whole child through hands-on experiences with specially designed Montessori materials in a prepared environment. Developed by Dr Maria Montessori over 100 years ago, this proven method fosters strong academic foundations, social skills, and overall wellbeing.
Today, Montessori Academy manage and operate more than 50 childcare centres across Australia and China. Montessori Academy continues to be managed and operated by Charles and Colette Assaf alongside the company’s experienced Management Team.
What makes Goodstart Early Learning a daycare option worth considering?
Goodstart Early Learning was founded on a vision of giving children the best possible start in life through access to quality early learning.
In 2009, a consortium of leading community sector organisations – The Benevolent Society, Mission Australia, the Brotherhood of St Laurence and Social Ventures Australia – came together to initiate the formation of Goodstart.
Right from birth, children are ready to learn and at Goodstart as they employ the most up-to-date thinking in early childhood education to create stimulating, age-appropriate learning environments that give children a secure base and the confidence to explore.
What sets Goodstart Early Learning apart from other daycare centres?
Goodstart is for children, not for profit.
Goodstart was founded on a vision of giving children the best possible start in life through access to quality early learning. They’re Australia's largest provider of early learning and care. Any surplus is reinvested into their daycare centres, children and staff.
Goodstart educators are the best paid in the sector, and their staff low turnovers mean safer centres with better child outcomes. No profit margins means they can help every family access high quality learning and care for less. Especially those in remote communities or with additional needs or disabilities.
What makes Guardian Childcare & Education a daycare option worth considering?
The team at Guardian Childcare & Education adopt an ethos that means putting children at the centre of their growth. They work hard to focus on each child’s individual journey, ensuring they can become capable learners with a curiosity and thirst for discovering new ideas to help them develop the skills to thrive in a rapidly changing world.
The key is nurturing children’s natural desire to learn through their world-class Curriculum, based on contemporary early childhood thinking and research. The team focus on respect, responsibility and community, brought to life through exploration, discovery and play.
What sets Guardian Childcare & Education apart from other daycare centres?
- 100% of profits are re-invested back into Guardian Centres and Teams to deliver the best early childhood education experience in Australia.
- They’re proud to say that 94% of their Centres meet or exceed the National Quality Standard.
- They have modern Centres in key locations across metro NSW, VIC, ACT, QLD and SA that provide care and education to more than 10,000 children each day.
- They are proud to be a Child Safe Organisation
Real client reviews:
"The centre is incredible with our daughter, she is happy every day. - Empire"
"The staff are fantastic. Clean environment with lots of nice great toys and activities. Nice outdoor space - with ability for kids to go in and out as they please. Good. Healthy. - Heather"
What makes Oz Education Early Learning a daycare option worth considering?
As a family-owned Australian provider, the team are committed to continue supporting and building strong local communities, and families through the unique combination of innovation and tradition that has become the hallmark of Oz Education Early Learning Centres.
For over four decades, Oz Education Early Learning have focused on building high-quality early learning centres that provide a family-friendly second home where the safety, health, well-being and education of every child are our utmost priority. Today, their established premium Early Learning Centres across New South Wales offer one of the best learning curricula and early learning services.
What sets Oz Education Early Learning apart from other daycare centres?
Since 1980, Oz Education Early Learning Centres have provided safe, nurturing environments that support early learning excellence and inspire young minds every day.
The team engages young children in enriching experiences that cultivate their ability and passion for learning. Throughout their early learning journey, they will be encouraged to explore, ask questions, make wise choices, and develop through meaningful interactions with our qualified and caring educators.
What makes Eden Academy a daycare option worth considering?
With over 50 centres across QLD, NSW, VIC, and SA, The Eden Academy team are proud to provide exceptional childcare and kindergarten to families throughout Australia.
At Eden Academy, their curriculum guides each day with purpose, blending clear activities like yoga and painting with open-ended play, all designed to foster age-appropriate development. The team goes beyond the National Quality Framework, focusing on each child’s sense of belonging, being, and becoming.
Meals and snacks are made from an abundance of local produce with the fussiest eater in mind. From an early morning muffin to a late afternoon snack, our tummies are full and satisfied.
What sets Eden Academy apart from other daycare centres?
Described as a ‘boutique darecare’ offering, the beautifully crafted, homely built Eden Academy Childcare Centres are designed to provide a nurturing and inspiring environment where children can thrive.
The team’s core belief is that your child deserves a learning environment unlike any other. That’s why they go the extra mile, collaborating with interior designers and architects to create spaces that are both beautiful and thoughtfully designed to nurture young minds and bodies.
Real client reviews:
"At Eden you are part of a family. The care provided is exceptional and the educators are completely invested in my child’s progress. My family feels valued and my child is supported every day to succeed. - Lauren"
What makes Giraffe Early Learning Centre a daycare option worth considering?
At Giraffe Early Learning Centres, the focus is on strong social connections, safe, stimulating environments and school readiness activities.
The centres are designed with safety in mind, providing a warm and secure environment where your child can explore, play, and learn with confidence.
Your child will have the opportunity to develop meaningful friendships and social skills through group activities and play, helping them thrive both emotionally and socially.
The focus is also on essential skills that prepare your child for school, ensuring they are confident, socially prepared, and eager to continue their educational journey.
What sets Giraffe Early Learning Centre apart from other daycare centres?
Gentle transitioning is a huge part of the process at Giraffe Early Learning Centres. They believe building an attachment with each child sets them up for lifelong confidence to grow as an individual. To that end, they offer a very generous transition period of up to 3 weeks, where the parents are welcome to stay and play. This ensures your child explores their new environment with you by their side.
Giraffe ELC also provide a nutritious, seasonal menu on a 4-week rotation, designed by their Chef and assessed by Nutrition Australia to meet children’s daily dietary needs.
They also encourage hands-on involvement in cooking for their active Toddlers and Preschoolers, who even make their own smoothies and organic mint tea grown from the centre garden!
What makes Sparrow Early Learning a daycare option worth considering?
The Sparrow Early Learning combines proven international early learning methods to create a unique and purposefully contemporary practice designed for today’s society. Guided by the principles of Reggio Emilia and underpinned by The Early Years Framework for Australia, the team embraces children’s inherent abilities to learn and develop, creating an environment for them to find solutions through exploration, discovery and invention, marvelling in everything around them.
What sets Sparrow Early Learning apart from other daycare centres?
The Sparrow Way is a contemporary, play-based learning curriculum that is taught in safe and caring environments where children’s natural abilities and creativity are nurtured.
Your child’s Educators work with your family in the development of your children. While learning begins at home, every aspect of a child’s extended environment enriches their being. None more so than at their Sparrow Early Learning centre, their home away from home, where trusted relationships are fostered, enabling children’s education to flourish.
Real client reviews:
"Staff are always friendly and happy, always have smiles on their face - drop off and pick up - and are willing to help when needed. They have made my son welcome and he loves all the staff and the environment. I love picking him up and seeing how happy he is before he sees that I am there. - Jemma Bruynesteyn"
What makes Busy Bees a daycare option worth considering?
Busy Bees began in 1983 when co-founder Marg Randles and her family couldn’t find the early childhood learning environment they dreamed of — so they created it themselves, focused on care, creativity, and child-led development.
Every Busy Bees centre is built on the belief that children thrive in safe, stimulating environments where their individuality is celebrated and their emotional and developmental needs are met — just like the very first centre over 40 years ago.
Families around the world trust the Busy Bees team for their values-led care. Busy Bees brings experience from Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Ireland, North America, and Asia. By sharing global knowledge and resources, they’re able to invest more in your child’s care.
What sets Busy Bees apart from other daycare centres?
Trusted, qualified educators
All team members hold Working with Children Checks, are first-aid trained (including CPR, asthma, and anaphylaxis), and complete annual child protection training.
Health and well-being first
Busy Bees follows national sleep and nutrition guidelines, maintain high hygiene standards, and manage allergies and medical needs with individualised plans.
Secure environments
Centres have monitored access, strict sign-in/out procedures, and approved emergency plans with regular drills.
A culture of safety
They empower children to speak up, foster safe relationships, and uphold the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations.
Real client reviews:
"Beautiful centre with great staff!! Everyone always knows how your child’s day has been and is able to tell you what they’ve been up to throughout the day. Great meals, great curriculum, great learning opportunities, very clean. - Regan"
And while you're getting ready for daycare, don't forget to stock up on the essentials! To help you choose the best products, you can check out our other lists of the best daycare school essentials:
Best Kid's Backpacks in Australia
Best Water Bottles for Babies and Toddlers
Want to see the best baby products in Australia up close? Come to our next baby expo by visiting our Sydney baby expo, Melbourne baby expo and Brisbane baby expo pages.
Disclaimer:
The One Fine Baby team are first and foremost mums - between us we have 14 children, and decades of experience in all things bump, baby and beyond. We regularly bring together our tried, researched and recommended products in a review style format such as this post. The articles include some paid inclusions which goes to helping us keep our audiences informed on the top products happening right here, right now in the parenting space. Please be sure that no product will ever be included in our articles, paid or otherwise, if it doesn’t deserve to be there.
A childcare or daycare centre is a licensed early learning service that provides daily care, supervision, and education for children while parents are at work or managing other commitments. These centres are designed to offer a safe, supportive, and play-based learning environment where children can build confidence, social skills, and school readiness.
In Australia, the term “childcare” is widely used as it reflects both the educational and developmental focus of early childhood education and care (ECEC). Services are regulated under the National Quality Framework (NQF) to ensure high standards of safety, staffing, and learning outcomes. This means parents can expect quality care delivered by trained educators in dedicated centres or approved home-based settings.
The purpose of a childcare or daycare centre is to provide a safe and nurturing space where children can learn, play, and develop while parents work or study. These centres build children’s social, emotional, and cognitive skills for school readiness, while also supporting families by enabling parents—especially mothers—to participate in the workforce.
Childcare centres provide many benefits, including early learning, socialisation, and school readiness through structured routines and play-based programs. They support children’s independence, language, and problem-solving skills under the guidance of qualified educators. For parents, childcare offers reliable support to balance work or study and access to the Child Care Subsidy, making early education more affordable.
Many families choose to start childcare when their child is around 12 months to 2 years old, as this is when children are more ready to socialise and follow simple routines. The most common entry point is between 3 and 5 years, when children join preschool or kindergarten programs that build school readiness. Age requirements and options can vary depending on the state, territory, and type of childcare service.
To choose the right childcare centre, look for a warm, safe, and engaging environment where children are happy and supported by qualified educators. Check that the centre is clean, secure, and well-equipped with age-appropriate learning and play resources. Strong communication with parents, clear educational programs, and compliance with the National Quality Framework (NQF) are also key signs of a high-quality centre.
