How Parents Choose a Childcare Centre in Australia (and What It Means for Your Marketing)

Before a family ever calls your centre, they've usually done a fair bit of homework. They've searched, compared, asked around and built a shortlist. If your marketing doesn't answer their questions at that stage, you may never hear from them at all.

The good news is you don't have to guess what they're looking at. Australian governments publish guides that tell parents exactly what to check. This post walks through how parents choose childcare, step by step, and what each step means for your website, listings and tours. It sits alongside our childcare marketing services and our guide to what happens after the enquiry.

What parents weigh up

The NSW Early Learning Commission's choosing a service guide suggests families consider:

• the service's quality rating

• the type of service, based on their child's age and needs

• the days and times they need care

• location, for example close to home, work or a family member's home

• how different backgrounds are celebrated

• any health care needs

The Queensland Government adds the practical checks: whether places are available, whether the fees suit the family's budget, any costs on top of the fees, any fee to join a waiting list, and support for children with additional needs.

What matters most to parents themselves? One snapshot comes from a 2019 Centre for Independent Studies poll of 521 working mothers. Warmth of care was among the top three priorities for 60% of them, ahead of location (56%) and cost (48%). Early learning (34%) and staff credentials (32%) ranked lower. It's one survey and a few years old, but it's a useful reminder: parents are judging how their child will feel, not just your facilities.

Where parents compare you: Starting Blocks

StartingBlocks.gov.au is the Australian Government's free website for finding and comparing services by quality ratings, fees, vacancies and inclusions. Its Find Child Care tool lets parents search near them, compare services and save a shortlist. The Department of Education says families can also compare services side by side, see when a service was last visited by a regulator, and see any conditions or enforcement actions.

That makes Starting Blocks one of the first places a parent may see your centre next to its competitors, often before they look at your website. Google is the other, which is why your Google Business Profile matters so much.

The five steps most families go through

Every family is different, but the government guides describe a similar path.

1. Build a shortlist

Families start by finding services near them, whether on Starting Blocks, on Google or by asking people they trust. Location and the days they need are natural first filters.

2. Check quality

Starting Blocks explains service quality ratings: every assessed service gets a rating for each of the seven quality areas of the National Quality Standard, plus an overall rating. It encourages parents to use ratings to compare services and ask informed questions, alongside visits and conversations.

3. Check fees, hours and vacancies

Parents look at fees, opening hours and whether there's a place for the days they need. The NSW guide prompts them to ask about extra costs such as an enrolment fee or public holiday charges, and whether meals and nappies are included.

4. Visit

Both the NSW and Queensland guides tell parents to book a tour, and Queensland suggests visiting a few services and comparing them. Starting Blocks recommends visiting at least once if they can.

5. Ask questions and decide

Starting Blocks suggests questions like how educators will comfort a child who's upset, how parents will hear about eating and sleeping during the day, who their child's main carer will be, and what the program will look like. NSW adds questions about educator-to-child ratios, what happens if a child is unwell, and how families can get involved.

What it means for your marketing

Each step gives you something specific to fix.

Keep your Starting Blocks details accurate

Fees, inclusions and vacancies on Starting Blocks come from what you enter in the CCS Provider Entry Point (or your software), and updates can take 24 to 48 hours to show. Vacancies can only be updated for the current or next week, so make it a weekly job. If a parent filters for a Wednesday place and you show none, you're off the shortlist.

Show your quality rating honestly

If your rating is a strength, say so on your website and listings, and explain what it means in plain words. ACECQA offers rating logos for services to use, and notes it's an offence to make a false or misleading statement about your NQS rating (regulation 72). Keep every mention current.

Answer the fee questions before they're asked

Parents are told to ask about extra costs, waiting list fees, public holidays, meals and nappies. Put those answers on your website. A clear fees page, or at least a "what's included" section, saves a phone call and builds trust.

Show warmth, not just rooms

If warmth of care is high on parents' lists, your photos and words should show educators with children, not just empty rooms. Introduce your team, explain how you settle new children and how you keep parents updated during the day. Get parent consent for any photos of children.

Make the visit easy

Every guide sends parents to visit, so make booking a tour simple: a clear button, set tour times and a fast reply. A virtual tour lets families who are short on time see your centre first, and our guide to childcare virtual tours shows how to use one to book more in-person visits.

Turn the question list into website content

The questions in the Starting Blocks and NSW guides are a ready-made FAQ. Answer them on your website in your own words. Parents who find those answers on your site arrive at the tour already trusting you. Our guide on how to increase childcare enrolments covers what to do next.

A quick self-check

Ask someone outside your team to play a parent and time how long it takes them to find:

• your quality rating

• your fees and what's included

• which days have vacancies

• how to book a tour

• how you settle new children and keep parents updated

• photos of your educators with children (with consent)

Anything that takes more than a minute or two to find is worth fixing first.

Frequently asked questions

Where do parents compare childcare centres in Australia?

The main government tool is StartingBlocks.gov.au, where families can compare services by quality ratings, fees, vacancies and inclusions. Many also compare centres on Google, through your Google Business Profile, reviews and website.

What do parents look for when choosing a childcare centre?

Government guides point parents to the quality rating, location, days and hours, fees and extra costs, vacancies, support for their child's needs and a visit to the centre. Parents also want to know their child will be cared for warmly.

How can a childcare centre stand out on Starting Blocks?

Keep your fees, inclusions and vacancies up to date in the Provider Entry Point every week, and make sure your website backs up what parents see there with clear fees, your rating and easy tour booking.

Want parents to choose your centre?

Maximize Marketing helps childcare centres across Australia get found and chosen by local families, with websites, local SEO, Google and Meta ads and virtual tours. Book a free chat with our team or see how our childcare marketing services work.