What age is childcare for?

Childcare in Australia covers children from 6 weeks to 6 years. The youngest age depends on the type of centre. Most long day care centres take babies from 6 weeks of age. Preschools and kindergartens typically start at 2.5 or 3 years. Here's how the age groups work, both generally and across our four Eikoh centres.

Which Eikoh centre suits which age?

Age	Best Eikoh fit
6 weeks - 2 years	Normanhurst, West Ryde
2 - 3 years	Normanhurst, West Ryde, plus St Ives Chase from 2.5
3 - 6 years	All four centres
Preschool / school readiness	Roseville (3-6), St Ives Chase (2.5-6), Normanhurst Emu room, West Ryde Rainbow room

The minimum age for childcare in NSW

The legal minimum age for centre based day care in NSW is 6 weeks. Most long day care centres are set up to take infants from this age. In practice, most working parents start their baby in care closer to the end of paid parental leave, around 6 to 12 months.

Standalone preschools and dedicated kindergartens that run school-day hours and follow NSW school terms typically take children from 3 years. Our long day care centres are open year round; St Ives Chase, which runs a preschool program inside long day care hours, takes children from 2.5 years.

The age groups (rooms) explained

Long day care centres group children into age-banded rooms with their own educators, environments, and program. Rooms typically have these names and ranges across the industry:

Typical room name	Age band	Focus
Nursery / Babies / Infant	6 weeks - 2 years	Sleep on individual routines, gentle social engagement, sensory play, language development
Toddlers	2 - 3 years	Toilet training support, vocabulary explosion, parallel play moving to cooperative play
Older toddlers / Junior preschool	3 - 4 years	Group time, longer attention span, structured play, social skills
Preschool / Kindy	4 - 6 years	School readiness program, name writing, listening in groups, self-help skills

Age groups across the four Eikoh centres

Normanhurst Child Care Centre (long day care, 0-6)

Room	Age band	Daily fee
Possum	0 - 2 years	$185 per day
Koala	2 - 3 years	$175 per day
Emu	3 - 6 years	$164 per day

West Ryde Long Day Care Centre (long day care, 0-6)

Room	Age band	Daily fee
Joeys	0 - 2 years	$177 per day
Jungle	2 - 3 years	$167 per day
Star	3 - 4 years	$160 per day
Rainbow	4 - 6 years	$160 per day

Roseville Kindergarten (preschool, 3-6)

Roseville Kindergarten is a preschool for 3 to 6 year olds, run with extended hours so families who need a longer day are covered. The 4-5 year olds form the school-readiness cohort.

St Ives Chase Kindergarten (Reggio-inspired preschool, 2.5-6)

St Ives Chase is a Reggio Emilia-inspired kindergarten. It takes children from 2.5 to 6 years, slightly younger than most preschools. The Reggio approach pairs younger and older children together.

When children move between rooms

Children move rooms based on developmental readiness, not strictly on age. The educators look at:

• Sleep patterns - whether the child has dropped to one nap (or none)
• Toilet training - particularly for the move from the under-2 room
• Language and social skills - readiness to manage a busier room
• Group dynamics - sometimes a child moves with a friend group

Most children move around their birthday, but the director and family agree on the timing together. Children move rooms when they are ready, with timing guided by the director, educators and family rather than age alone.

Upper age limit: when childcare ends

Children typically leave childcare for primary school the year they turn 5 or 6. In NSW, the cut-off for starting Kindergarten (the first year of primary school) is 31 July: children must turn 5 by 31 July of the year they start. Many families choose to keep their child in long day care or preschool for an extra year if they're a younger 4 turning 5 mid-year.

After primary school starts, before-and-after school care (OSHC) takes over.

What age is best to start childcare?

This depends on the family. The most common starting points we see:

• End of parental leave (6-9 months) - the most common. Routines are settled at home, baby slots into the centre rhythm.
• 12-18 months - some families wait until walking and more verbal, accepting that separation anxiety peaks here.
• Around 2 years - often for socialisation. Many of our Koala/Jungle Room children start here.
• The year before school (4-5 years) - school readiness focus. Common for families with one parent at home.

For more on the trade-offs at each age, read our blog post on the best age to start daycare in Australia.

Sibling and second-child considerations

If you have a second child under 5 in approved care, the higher CCS subsidy rate (up to 95%) applies to the younger sibling, provided your family income is under $370,727. This often makes the financial difference for families wanting to keep both children in care while a parent returns to work. The childcare fees calculator models this.