Family day care offers children from birth to 12 years of age a safe education and care option in small groups of up to 7 children, traditionally in a home or family learning environment.
Family day care can be:
- all day
- on a part-time basis
- in the evening
- overnight
- before and after school
- during school holidays.
Family day care services can offer education and care to children with parents who work outside centre-based normal hours.
Family day care services must employ staff who hold or are studying an approved qualification in order to comply with the
National Quality Framework.
Roles and qualifications to work in family day care
There are many family day care providers across Queensland. Thousands of people work in family day care settings with different qualifications and in a range of roles, including:
Family day care educator Certificate III level qualification
- Provides individualised education and care to small groups of children (no more than 4 children under school age) in their own homes.
- May also care for 3 additional school age children who attend family day care outside of school hours.
All family day care educators must hold or be 'actively working towards' at least an approved
Certificate III level education and care qualification.
Family day care coordinator Diploma level qualification
- Manages the standard of education and care by monitoring, supporting and developing educators.
- Helps educators design, plan, implement and evaluate their educational programs.
All family day care coordinators must hold an approved
Diploma level education and care qualification. In Queensland, you are taken to hold an approved Diploma level education and care qualification if you held a qualification before 1 January 2012 that is published on the list of Former approved qualifications for Family Day Care Coordinators (in Queensland).
All new service approvals for family day care services issued after October 2017 require a minimum ratio of one coordinator for every 15 educators for the first 12 months of service operation.
Learn more about: qualifications for family day care services.