Finding The Best Early Childhood Education and Care: The New-Look StartingBlocks.gov.au

StartingBlocks.gov.au is Australia's free government website to compare early childhood education and outside school hours care. With a wealth of information at your fingertips, including quality ratings, fees, vacancies and inclusions, it is your first step toward finding the best services for your family - and their new-look website is better than ever!

Finding The Best Early Childhood Education and Care: The New-Look StartingBlocks.gov.au 

If you are a parent or carer on the hunt for the best early learning and care services in Australia, StartingBlocks.gov.au is your ultimate one-stop resource!

This free national government website is designed to help parents and carers find, compare, and choose the right services for their children with ease and confidence, and the relaunched website is packed with new features that ensure you have everything you need on this crucial journey.

Discover Local Services

StartingBlocks.gov.au takes the stress out of finding local early childhood education and care services. Whether you’re looking for family day care, long day care, kindergarten or preschool, or outside school hours care, this site has it all.

It’s the only website where you can access detailed information on over 17,000 education and care services regulated under the National Quality Framework (NQF), with accurate information updated daily to ensure you’re making an informed choice that fits your family’s needs and budget.

Compare Services Side-by-Side

The website’s Find Child Care tool is a game-changer, allowing you to view vacancies, fees, quality ratings, and inclusions of nearby services, making it easier than ever to find the perfect match for your child’s needs. You can even save your top choices to a shortlist and compare multiple services side-by-side, contact the services directly, and arrange visits to get a firsthand look at what they offer.

Estimate Your Child Care Subsidy Entitlements

Financial planning is a crucial part of parenting life and choosing an early childhood education and care service that fits your budget is critical. StartingBlocks.gov.au has made this easier with their streamlined Child Care Subsidy (CCS) Calculator tool. This fast and efficient tool helps you estimate the amount of CCS you’re eligible for and understand your out-of-pocket costs. No more guesswork - just clear, accurate financial information to guide your decisions!

Insights and Testimonials from Other Parents

StartingBlocks.gov.au is about more than data and numbers - you can get personal with the new testimonials feature, offering insights from parents sharing their feedback on navigating children’s early education and care. These real-life stories provide valuable perspectives and help you understand how other families have benefited from using the site and its services.

Resources to Support Your Parenting Journey

The newly enhanced Resources section on StartingBlocks.gov.au is a treasure trove of information. It’s packed with engaging video content and articles to support you and your child’s early years. Here’s a peek at what you can find:

• Attending a Service Resources: Learn about the national regulatory system, service quality ratings, health and safety standards, educational programs, what to expect from early childhood services, and tips for a smooth transition to school.
• Your Child's Development Resources: Get expert advice on supporting your child’s learning and development, parenting tips, health and safety guidelines, and more.
• Find Child Care: Easy to use directory listing to find the most suitable childcare facility for your child in your area. 
• Child Care Subsidy calculator: Easy to use tool to find out what you might pay for your childcare needs.

To keep up with the latest updates and tips, you can follow StartingBlocks.gov.au on Facebook and Instagram. For more in-depth information and quality early learning content, tune in to their YouTube channel.

So, parents, take the plunge and explore StartingBlocks.gov.au today. 

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