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Opening a childcare service

Information about how to start a childcare centre in Victoria.

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Childcare services are regulated

Childcare services (early childhood services) are regulated by each state and territory in Australia:

Before opening a service, providers and their services must be approved by the Regulatory Authority. It is illegal to operate a child care service without this approval.

The Victorian Early Childhood Regulatory Authority (VECRA) is the Regulatory Authority in Victoria.

Types of early childhood services

The following childcare services are regulated in Victoria:

Some services and activities for young children do not need to be approved to operate.

Read more about the different types of early childhood services, how they’re regulated, which activities don’t need to be approved or regulated, and the role of the Regulatory Authority.

Contact us to confirm if your proposed service or activity will require approval:

Things to consider before you start

Operating a service is a significant commitment.

As the approved provider you have the legal responsibility to ensure that the service and each educator engaged complies with the relevant laws and regulations for the NQF or the Children’s Services Act.

Before you open a service, you need to consider:

You will also need to consider whether the proposed location of your service is suitable and meets all the regulatory requirements for the service premises and operations.

Services must have natural light, ventilation, access to genuine outdoor space and a natural environment, as well as meeting detailed safety requirements. These requirements are important considerations if you are intending to retrofit or re-purpose an existing building.

First steps – provider approval

To start a childcare service in Victoria you must first apply to VECRA:

You can apply as:

To apply for a new provider approval you must ordinarily reside in Victoria or have a principal office in Victoria if the applicant is not an individual.

You should get your own legal advice on the implications of the entity type.

Being a suitable person to operate a childcare service

To become an approved provider of an early childhood service, you must satisfy VECRA that you are a ‘fit and proper person’, that is:

*If the applicant is a company or other entity this applies to all individual persons who comprise that entity, i.e. the directors of a company, the members of the executive committee of an incorporated association, and the partners in a partnership.

To assess if you are ‘fit and proper’, VECRA will:

VECRA will also assess whether other people in your organisation are ‘fit and proper’.

This applies to any other people:

VECRA may assess a wide range of documents to assist them to decide if you are a fit and proper person to be involved with providing a service.

Next steps - operating a service

After you become an approved provider, you may apply to VECRA for approval to operate a service.

Next you need to decide what type of service you will operate:

The National Quality Standard (NQS) applies to services that provide regular education and care to children. It sets a high national quality benchmark for early childhood education and care services in Australia. The NQS has 7 quality areas that are important for ensuring quality outcomes for children.

Services regulated under the NQF are:

Regulatory fees

While they are a small part of the overall cost of running a childcare service, you should also consider the regulatory fees that will apply.

Fees are payable under both regulatory schemes that operate in Victoria and fall into two categories:

All fees are indexed annually. Some fees vary according to the size of the approved service.

For the current fees under the NQF (for long day care services, family day care services and outside school hours care services), refer to ACECQA indexed fees.

For the current fees for occasional care and limited hours services, refer to: Children’s services regulated under State law.

More information

Child care funding

The Australian Government operates the Child Care Subsidy (CCS) scheme. For more information please read the Child Care Provider Handbook.

Contact us

For more information and assistance about starting a service, contact our Enquiries and Support Team on:

Education & training

Updated 27 March 2026

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