I have spoken to enough parents in the thick of this process to know it is genuinely stressful. You are trying to make a decision that feels enormous, often while juggling work, a toddler who will not sleep and a waiting list that already has seventeen people on it. So I went and asked the people who know this space well. What actually matters? What should parents be looking for, beyond the glossy brochure? Here is what came back.
First, go see the place in person.
Mara Jennings, Early Childhood Environment Consultant
Mara has been helping families assess childcare settings for over fifteen years. Her starting point has not changed once in that time.
Stop scrolling and go visit.
“I see parents spend weeks reading reviews and comparing websites,” she told me. “None of that replaces actually walking in. Is there natural light? Can the kids reach things themselves? Does it feel settled, or does it feel like everyone is just managing?”
She is not wrong. A lot of what makes a childcare space good or bad is felt before it is understood. Mara talks about the physical setup as a kind of signal. Clean facilities, secure entry, outdoor space that is actually usable. But beyond the basics, she looks at whether someone has clearly thought about how children will move through the room. “When a space is set up well, you can tell an educator sat with it and asked, ‘How will a three-year-old actually use this?’ That kind of thinking does not stay hidden. It shows up everywhere.”
Watch What Staff Do, Not Just What They Say They Do
Simone Hartley, Parenting Coach and Early Learning Advocate
Simone is a parenting coach who works with families through transitions, and she has one consistent piece of advice for centre visits. Slow down. Stop asking questions for a moment and just watch.
“Are educators getting down to the children’s level? Are they actually present, or are they doing three things at once?” she says. “Do kids walk up to them easily? That is what you are looking for.”
She is also direct about ratios. Staff-to-child ratios in Australia are regulated under the National Quality Framework, and lower ratios make a real, practical difference to how much individual attention a child actually gets. Not theoretical attention. Actual, daily attention. Simone puts it plainly: “A warm educator who has the time and headspace to genuinely notice your child is what you are after. The qualification matters. But watch the behaviour first.”
The Curriculum Question Most Parents Do Not Think to Ask
Dr Priya Nambiar, Early Childhood Education Researcher
Dr Priya Nambiar spends her working life researching how young children learn. She told me one of the most telling questions a parent can ask during a centre visit is also one of the least common. Ask them to explain their curriculum.
“Quality centers work within the Early Years Learning Framework V2.0, which became mandatory from February 2024,” she explains. “That framework is built around play. Curiosity. Letting kids lead their own investigations. It is not about drilling phonics at age three.”
The EYLF V2.0 is the nationally approved learning framework for children from birth to five years, sitting under the National Quality Framework. Dr Nambiar’s practical advice: ask how the centre tracks each child’s development and how that gets communicated to families. “Every child moves differently. A good programme watches for that across social, emotional, cognitive and physical development and actually tells you about it. If the response is vague, that is information too.”
You Should Never Feel Like You Are Interrupting
Dr Celia Oatway, Family Therapist and Parenting Specialist
Dr Celia Oatway works with families going through big changes, and she has a fairly simple benchmark for communication between a centre and its families. You should never feel like a visitor on your child’s day.
“The best services treat families as part of the picture, not as a drop-off and pick-up arrangement,” she says. Whether parents are looking at an Altona Meadows kindergarten or somewhere across the city, the standard should be the same. Daily updates, open-door access, regular catch-ups with educators. Signs that the people caring for your child actually want you in the loop.
Dr Oatway is careful to clarify what she means. “It is not about constant messaging. It is about knowing that if something shifts with your child, you will hear about it promptly. That you will be respected enough to be told.”
Inclusion Is Either Woven In or It Is Not There at All
Yemi Adeyemi, Multicultural Early Education Advocate
Yemi Adeyemi works with communities across Australia on exactly this issue, and she has a quick test she suggests to families. Do not visit on a cultural event day. Visit on a Tuesday.
“On a regular, ordinary day, are children’s cultural identities present in the books, the materials, and the conversations happening in the room?” she asks. “Or does diversity only show up when it has been scheduled?”
Her point is sharper than it might first sound. Genuine inclusion shapes the daily experience of every child in a centre, not just children from minority backgrounds. Yemi looks for community events, what is actually on the shelves and whether the staff reflect the people they serve. “When a centre understands this well, every child feels like they belong there. That is not a bonus feature. It is part of what makes early education actually work.”
Ask for the paperwork. All of it.
Trish Donovan, Childcare Policy Advocate
Trish Donovan has worked in childcare policy for years. Her advice is the least glamorous of the lot and possibly the most useful.
Ask for documentation before you commit. Fee structures, enrollment processes, sick day policies, emergency procedures. “A well-run service hands that over without hesitation,” she says. “If you get vague answers or have to ask twice, pay attention to that.”
Before visiting anywhere, Trish recommends one practical step: look up the service’s quality rating on StartingBlocks.gov.au, the Australian Government’s free website where families can compare services by ratings, fees, vacancies and inclusions. “Get that baseline before you walk in. Then visit, ask your questions and back your own judgement. Strong leadership produces staff who feel settled and confident. Children pick up on that every single day.”
What It Really Comes Down To
Every person I spoke to for this article looped back to the same thing eventually. No amount of online research tells you what walking through the door will.
A good centre has a feeling. The children look at ease. Educators seem like they actually want to be there. Questions get answered without defensiveness. The space feels like somewhere a small person could genuinely belong and grow.
Visit more than one. Bring your questions. Use the expert advice here as your guide. And then back yourself. You will know when you have found the right fit.
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