Childcare fees per day, explained.
The headline daily rate is not what most families pay. Here is how the numbers work in 2026-27, with our own centres as the example.
Childcare fees are quoted as a daily rate, and the daily rate is almost never what a family actually pays. Between the Child Care Subsidy, the hourly rate cap and what each centre bundles into its fee, the real number takes a little unpacking. Here is how it works for 2026-27, using our own four centres as the worked example.
The headline fees at our centres
These are our current daily rates, as published on each centre's fees page:
- Normanhurst Child Care Centre (long day care, 7am to 6pm): $185 for 0 to 2 years, $175 for 2 to 3, $164 for 3 to 6
- West Ryde Long Day Care (7am to 6pm): $177 for 0 to 2, $167 for 2 to 3, $160 for 3 to 6
- Roseville Kindergarten (ages 3 to 6): $135 for preschool hours (9am to 3pm) or $166 for long day care hours (8am to 5:30pm)
- St Ives Chase Kindergarten (ages 2.5 to 6): $135 for preschool hours or $152 for long day care (7am to 6pm)
Why the spread? Three things. Younger rooms cost more to run because the law requires 1 educator for every 4 babies, against 1 to 10 for the preschool age group. Longer hours cost more than shorter ones. And the fee covers different things at different centres.
What the fee includes
At Normanhurst and West Ryde, the daily fee covers all five daily meals cooked on site, the education program, sunscreen and a hat, plus nappies and formula in the under-3 rooms. You pack a change of clothes and a water bottle, and that is about it.
At Roseville and St Ives Chase, the fee covers the program, sunscreen, a hat and afternoon tea for children staying extended hours; families pack morning tea and lunch. So a dollar-for-dollar comparison between two centres is only meaningful once you know what is in the fee. A cheaper rate that excludes food and nappies can cost more by Friday.
The gap fee: what you actually pay
The Child Care Subsidy is paid by the government directly to the centre, and you pay the remainder, called the gap fee. Your subsidy percentage depends on family income. For 2026-27, a family earning under $88,520 gets 90%, the rate drops one percentage point for every $5,000 above that, and it reaches zero at $538,520.
One catch worth understanding: the subsidy applies to the lower of the centre's hourly fee or the government's hourly rate cap, which is $15.19 for centre-based care in 2026-27.
Two real examples from West Ryde, which runs an 11-hour day:
- Star Room, $160 a day. That is $14.55 an hour, under the cap, so the subsidy applies to the whole fee. A family on 90% CCS is subsidised $144. Centrelink withholds 5% of the subsidy through the year as a buffer, so the family pays about $23 a day, with the withheld part squared up at tax time.
- Joeys Room, $177 a day. That is $16.09 an hour, over the cap, so the subsidy is calculated on $15.19 × 11 hours = $167.09. The same 90% family pays about $34 a day.
Every family's numbers differ, which is why we built a gap-fee calculator with each centre's actual fees and the 2026-27 rules loaded. It takes about a minute.
The other numbers families ask about
Holding deposit. A flat $500 at all four centres, payable when you accept an offer. It sits against your account and is applied to your final invoice when you leave, provided four weeks' written notice is given.
Waiting list. Free to join, at all four centres.
Billing. Fees are billed monthly, with B-Pay our preferred payment method. CCS lands automatically; you never claim it back yourself.
Absent days. Fees are payable when your child is enrolled but away sick or on holiday, and CCS keeps paying its share for up to 42 absence days a year. The detail is in our guide to absent days.
Public holidays and closures. Fees apply on public holidays. Our centres close over the Christmas and New Year period and do not charge fees while closed.
Current offers
New enrolments at Normanhurst receive 50% off the first 4 weeks (enrol by 31 December 2026, start by 28 February 2027). Roseville, St Ives Chase and West Ryde are offering 25% off the first 4 weeks for new families who enrol and start by 31 December 2026.
If you want a number for your own family rather than a worked example, run the calculator. It uses each centre's real fees with the 2026-27 rules loaded, and it takes about a minute.