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What is family day care? A guide for Smithfield parents
If you’re weighing up family day care and a childcare centre, it helps to know how each one works. Here’s Miss Susan’s friendly guide, with the facts from Australian government sources and the questions parents most often ask.
What is family day care?
Family day care is early education and care in an educator’s own home. The federal education department describes it as care for small groups of children, typically from birth to 12 years old, usually in the home of an educator.
Some parents call it home day care. Every family day care educator is registered with an approved family day care service, and Susan’s is registered with Rainbow Bridge Family Day Care.
It’s also one of the four kinds of care that can get the Child Care Subsidy, along with centre-based day care, outside school hours care and In Home Care.
Family day care vs a childcare centre: what’s the difference?
Both are approved kinds of care, and both suit lots of families. The biggest differences are the setting and the size of the group.
| Family day care | Childcare centre | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | An educator’s own home | An early childhood education centre |
| Who looks after your child | One familiar educator | Several educators, depending on how many children there are |
| How many children | Up to 7 at a time, and no more than 4 of them preschool age or under | One educator for every 4 children under 2, every 5 from 2 to 3, and every 10 from 3 to preschool age |
| Ages | Mixed ages together, typically from birth to 12 | Grouped by the ratios for each age |
| Opening hours | Set by each educator | At least 8 hours a day, typically Monday to Friday |
| Child Care Subsidy | Yes, for eligible families at approved services | Yes, for eligible families at approved services |
The numbers are the NSW ratios, set out by the NSW education department. The centre hours come from StartingBlocks, the government’s site for comparing care.
Is family day care safe? Who keeps an eye on quality
Family day care runs under the same national rules as childcare centres, the National Quality Framework, which the Department of Education describes as Australia’s system for regulating early childhood education and care.
- Every family day care service has to be approved under the national law
- A Working With Children Check is one of the background checks every family day care educator needs
- On StartingBlocks you can look up a service’s quality rating and see when a regulator last visited
Is family day care cheaper than childcare?
It really depends on the service, because every family day care educator and every centre sets its own fees. On StartingBlocks you can compare fees and estimate your out-of-pocket costs for services near you.
At Susan’s, the fee is $141.30 a day, with a minimum booking of nine hours a day and two days a week.
Child Care Subsidy
The Child Care Subsidy helps eligible families with the cost of approved care, including family day care. Your child needs to be 13 or younger and not yet at secondary school, and there are a few other requirements, which Services Australia lists in full.
Is family day care right for your child?
These are the things parents most often weigh up when they’re choosing care, and here’s how each one works at Susan’s.
- Your child has one educator, so they see the same familiar face every day. If Miss Susan is ever unwell or can’t open, you’re not charged for that day, and she’s only been off twice in nearly two years.
- The group is small and mixed in age, so the little ones have older children to look up to and Miss Susan has more time for each child.
- Every educator sets their own days and hours. Susan’s is open from 8am to 5pm, Monday to Thursday, with Fridays from January 2027.
- Small groups mean fewer places, so it’s worth asking early about the days you need.
Family day care at Miss Susan’s
Miss Susan is a Diploma-qualified educator with 13 years of looking after little ones, and she runs Susan’s Learn and Play from her home in Smithfield.
- Babies to 11 year olds
- 8am to 5pm, Monday to Thursday
- Fridays from January 2027
- Morning and afternoon tea included
- Screen-free and play-based
- Weekly cooking and gardening
Questions worth asking on a visit
- What does a usual day look like?
- How many children are here on the days I need?
- What happens if you’re unwell or on holidays?
- What food is included, and what do I pack?
- How will you help my child settle in?
- How will I hear about my child’s day?
These are good questions for any service you visit, and Miss Susan is happy to answer every one of them in person.
Read the FAQs
Come and meet Miss Susan
The best way to know if family day care suits your child is to come and see it for yourself, and you’re welcome to bring your little one along.
Call, text or fill in a few details with your child’s age and the days you need, and Miss Susan will let you know what’s available and arrange a visit.
0451 201 076