Family Day Care Marketing: Getting Found by Local Parents

Family day care has something many long day care centres would love to offer: small groups, a home setting and an educator who gets to know every child. The catch is that families often don't find you until they've already looked at the centres nearby.

This guide covers practical family day care marketing for Australian educators and the schemes they work with: what to promote, where local parents look, and how to turn an enquiry into a visit. It builds on our wider childcare marketing approach, adapted for care in the educator's home.

Why family day care marketing works differently

A centre may have dozens of places to fill. An educator has a handful. Under the National Quality Framework, ACECQA sets a family day care ratio of 1:7, with no more than four children preschool age or under, and the educator's own children under 13 count if no other adult is caring for them.

That changes the job. You aren't building general awareness. You're trying to find the right family for a specific gap, such as a toddler place on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, or after school care for a primary school child.

There are also two layers to every service. The educator runs the day, and the approved provider (the scheme) handles approvals, subsidy and many of the listings. Marketing works best when both are pulling in the same direction, so check your scheme's policy on advertising, social media and photos before you start.

Be specific about what you're offering

Before you post anything, write down:

• The days, hours and age groups you have free, and from when

• Your suburb, and the schools or kinders you can drop off at or collect from, if you do

• What makes your care different: a small group, siblings together, a home environment, a garden, a regular routine

• Anything families commonly ask, such as meals, nappies, sleep and excursions

Only promise what's true. "Flexible hours" helps a shift-working parent only if you actually offer early starts or later finishes.

Get found where local parents look

Google Business Profile

Family Day Care Australia encourages educators to set up a free Google Business Profile so they can appear when families search for care in their area. Before you do, talk to your scheme about the name and address. Google's guidelines say your business name must match how you're known in the real world, the address or service area must be accurate, and a business that shows its address should keep permanent signage with its name there. Working from home makes that a real decision, not a formality.

If a profile suits your situation, complete it properly: hours, a clear description, real photos of your play spaces and garden, and a link to your page on the scheme's website. Our Google Business Profile checklist goes through each field.

The Family Day Care Locator

If your service is an FDCA member, use the Family Day Care Locator. FDCA says members get a free listing with their own profile page, vacancy information, opening hours, a photo and some text, plus an inbox for Locator enquiries (FDCA). Keep the vacancies current and check that inbox often.

Starting Blocks

Many parents compare services on the government's Starting Blocks website. Fee and vacancy details there come from what the service enters in the CCS Provider Entry Point (PEP) or its software, and Starting Blocks says updates can take 24 to 48 hours to appear. Educators should tell their scheme when places open up, so the listing doesn't say "no vacancies" when you have room.

Your page on the scheme website

Schemes, give every educator a page of their own: first name, suburb, days and hours, age groups, a short bio and photos of the space. A parent searching for care in their suburb wants to see who, where and when. Our local SEO guide for childcare explains why location pages need real, unique detail rather than copied text.

Build trust before the first visit

Parents choosing family day care are choosing a person as much as a service. Help them get to know you early:

• Reviews. Ask current families to share their experience on Google. Our guide to Google reviews for childcare covers how to ask the right way.

• Word of mouth. Many enquiries come from families who already know someone in your care. Make it easy for them to pass on your details.

• Photos. Show the space, the garden and the activities. Only include identifiable children with written consent from their families.

Respond fast and make the visit count

A family that enquires about care has usually contacted more than one service. Reply the same day where you can, answer the main question first (do you have a place on these days?) and offer a specific time to visit.

The visit is your tour. Show where children play, eat and sleep, explain a typical day and introduce any children or pets the family's child will meet. Then follow up within a day or two. Our guides to turning enquiries into enrolments and childcare tour tips cover each step.

Explain fees and subsidy clearly

Family day care is approved child care for the Child Care Subsidy, as Services Australia lists, as long as the family meets the eligibility rules. Don't quote subsidy percentages, because they depend on each family's circumstances. Point families to Services Australia instead.

Be clear about who families pay. The Department of Education says that from 1 January 2026, family day care providers must collect gap fees directly from families, and educators can no longer collect them on the provider's behalf. A short note on your page and in your welcome pack saves confusion later.

Stay inside the advertising rules

You can promote free visits and trial periods, but the Department of Education bans inducements such as cash, vouchers, gift cards, devices and other gifts to encourage a family to enrol. Discounted or free care can be offered and advertised, as long as fee discounts are reported correctly when subsidy is claimed. If you're unsure, ask your scheme or the CCS Provider Helpdesk first.

For scheme owners: market the gaps, not just the brand

A scheme's brand matters, but families enrol with an educator in a suburb on certain days. Keep a simple, current list of vacancies by educator, suburb, age group and hours, and point your marketing at the areas where places are actually free. Route every enquiry to an educator with a suitable place quickly, and track where enquiries come from. Our guide to childcare marketing KPIs shows how to set that up with free tools.

FAQ

How do family day care educators get more families?

Be specific about your free days and age groups, keep your Google Business Profile (if you have one), Family Day Care Locator listing and scheme page up to date, ask current families for reviews, and reply to every enquiry quickly with a time to visit.

Should a family day care educator have a Google Business Profile?

It can help families nearby find you, and FDCA recommends one. Because you work from home, agree the business name and address approach with your scheme first, and follow Google's guidelines on names, addresses and signage.

Can family day care families get Child Care Subsidy?

Yes, where the service is approved and the family meets the eligibility rules. Services Australia lists family day care as approved child care. Families can check their own situation with Services Australia.

Can I offer a discount or gift to attract new families?

Gifts, vouchers, cash and devices are banned as inducements. You can offer free visits or a trial, and discounted or free care, as long as fee discounts are reported correctly. Check with your scheme before you advertise any offer.

Want more local families finding your service?

Maximize Marketing helps Australian childcare services, including family day care schemes, get found by nearby families with local search, ads and enquiry follow-up built around the places they actually have free. Learn more about our childcare marketing services or book a free chat and we'll look at where your next families could come from.