A Childcare Marketing Calendar: When Parents Search and Enrol

Most childcare marketing advice online is written for American centres, where the school year starts in autumn and summer camp fills the middle of the year. Australia works the other way around. Our school year starts in late January or early February, so the big changes in your rooms happen over summer.

A childcare marketing calendar helps you get ahead of those changes instead of reacting to them. This guide walks through the dates that move enrolments in Australia, what to focus on each season, and the tasks that should run all year. It pairs with our childcare marketing plan template, which turns these ideas into a 90-day schedule.

Why timing matters for your centre

Your enrolment year follows the school year. When children leave for school, places open in your preschool room, and every room below it shuffles up. If you only start marketing once those places are empty, you can spend the first months of the year catching up.

In New South Wales, for example, children can start Kindergarten at the beginning of the school year if they turn 5 on or before 31 July that year, and by law they must be at school by their sixth birthday (NSW Department of Education). Rules differ between states, so check the ones that apply to your families. Once you know which children are likely to leave, you know which places to market and when. That's where good childcare marketing starts: know the gap first, then promote it. Our guide to increasing childcare occupancy shows how to find exactly where places sit empty.

Put these dates in your diary first

Before you plan campaigns, mark the fixed dates that shape your year.

School terms and holidays

Each state sets its own term dates. In NSW, Term 1 of 2027 starts for students on Wednesday 3 February, and the summer holidays run from Friday 18 December 2026 to Wednesday 27 January 2027 (NSW Department of Education). Find your state's dates and add them. Holidays affect OSHC demand, staff leave and when families have time to visit.

School orientation and transition

The NSW Department of Education says most schools hold orientation days towards the end of the year for children starting Kindergarten the next year. That's a reminder for you, too: the families in your oldest room are about to leave, and the families in your younger rooms are thinking about next year.

Kinder and preschool registration

If you offer a funded kinder or preschool program, learn how registration works in your area. In Victoria, many councils run central registration. Knox Council, for example, opens registration on 1 May for the following year, asks families to register before 30 June for first-round offers, and sends those offers in July (Knox City Council). Other councils use different dates, so check yours. Our kindergarten marketing guide has more on timing your preschool marketing around the year.

Your own centre's dates

Add the dates only you know: room transitions, fee reviews, open days, end-of-year events and the week you close over Christmas, if you do. These are often the best reasons to contact families.

Your childcare marketing calendar, season by season

Use this as a starting point, then adjust it to your own enquiry data. Every centre's pattern is a little different.

January and February: settle and fill the gaps

• Welcome new families well. The first weeks decide whether they stay and recommend you.

• Check every room for places that opened when children left for school, and update your vacancies on Starting Blocks. Vacancy and fee details come from the CCS Provider Entry Point and can take 24 to 48 hours to show (Starting Blocks).

• Market any remaining places by room and day, for example "Two Tuesday places in our toddler room".

• Ask families who settled in well for a Google review.

March to May: build for mid-year

• Run an autumn open day or a set of tour mornings. Our open day ideas can help you plan one.

• Refresh website photos and your Google Business Profile while things are calmer.

• If you run a funded kinder program, remind families about registration dates in your area.

• Contact your waitlist to check who still needs care and when.

June to August: mid-year moves and next year's planning

• Families move house, change jobs or return from parental leave at any time of year, so keep mid-year places visible.

• Start asking current families about next year: who is leaving for school, who wants extra days and who is moving rooms.

September to November: lock in next year

• Confirm next year's numbers room by room, so you know exactly which places to market.

• Thank your team on Early Childhood Educators' Day, which falls on Wednesday 1 September in 2027 (Early Childhood Educators' Day). Sharing that with families is a warm, honest way to show who cares for their children.

• Run a spring open day and give it a clear call to action, such as booking a tour for a January start.

• Follow up every enquiry quickly. Our enquiry to enrolment guide covers each step from first reply to first day.

• Email your waitlist with real availability for the new year. Our guide to email marketing for childcare centres shows what to send and how often.

December: thank, review and prepare

• Thank families who are leaving, and ask if they'd be happy to leave a review.

• Check your enquiry and enrolment numbers for the year, and note which months were busiest.

• Have your January messages, photos and ads ready before you close for the break.

Tasks that run all year

Some jobs don't follow the calendar. Keep these going every week:

• Reply to enquiries the same day.

• Keep vacancies current on Starting Blocks, your website and your Google profile.

• Keep your waitlist up to date, with a check-in at least once a term.

• Track enquiries, tours and enrolments each month, using the numbers in our childcare marketing KPIs guide.

Over a year or two, your own figures become your most useful calendar. They show when your families actually enquire, which no general guide can tell you.

Check your offers before you run them

Seasonal campaigns can tempt centres into "enrol before Christmas" deals. Be careful. The Department of Education says providers must not offer prohibited inducements when advertising, including cash, vouchers, gift cards, electronic devices and other gifts or giveaways (Department of Education). Focus your seasonal messages on what families get from your centre instead.

You can also share accurate subsidy information. From 5 January 2026, all CCS eligible families can get at least 72 hours of subsidised care per fortnight (Department of Education). That can help families who are deciding how many days to book for the new year.

FAQ

When do parents look for childcare in Australia?

There's no single national pattern. Many decisions are tied to the January school year, return to work dates and moving house. The most reliable guide is your own enquiry data, so track the month each enquiry arrives and review it every year.

When should I start marketing for January places?

Start by confirming next year's numbers with current families in the second half of the year, so you know which places will open. Then market those specific places in spring, while families are still choosing.

Should my marketing calendar follow school terms?

Yes, at least loosely. School terms affect when children leave, when families have time to tour and when OSHC demand changes. Add your state's term dates and your local schools' orientation days to your calendar.

Can I run a seasonal enrolment offer?

Check the Department of Education's rules on inducements first. Cash, vouchers, gift cards and giveaways are not allowed. Promote real benefits, such as your program, your team and the places you have available.

Want a calendar built around your centre?

Every centre's year looks a little different. Maximize Marketing helps Australian childcare centres plan and run childcare marketing that matches when local families are actually looking. Book a free chat and we'll map out your next twelve months together.