Parent Resources and Guides
Here you will find straightforward childcare advice for parents, written by the team at our St Ives centre. The guides cover choosing a centre, settling in, everyday questions about sleep, food and toilet training, fees and the subsidy, getting ready for school, and health and safety. Filter the index below by the stage you are at.
Every guide is written for families in NSW, so the rules, ratios and subsidy figures match what applies here. None of them assume you will choose us; they are meant to help whatever you decide. To learn about our own centre, visit the Lead Early Learning Centres home page.
Find the guide for your stage
Showing all 24 guides and tools
Choosing a centre
The most useful childcare advice for parents choosing a centre is to judge the people and the quality rating before the building. Check the centre's rating on the national register, visit while it is running, and ask who would look after your child each day and how you will hear about it.
Our guide to choosing a childcare centre gives you a checklist to take on every visit.
Compare like with like. Long day care, family day care, preschool and a nanny all work differently, and each has its own guide in the index above.
Ratios are set in law, but some rooms staff above them. Ask what happens at the start and end of the day, when rooms combine.
Our own result is public too. The regulator's May 2026 assessment placed us at Exceeding overall, with an Exceeding result for partnerships with families and the community.
Starting out and settling in
Starting daycare goes best with a gradual build-up: a few short visits together, a consistent drop-off routine, and a comfort item from home. Most children settle within a few weeks, though tears at goodbye can last a little longer than the rest of the adjustment.
Timing matters less than preparation. Our guide to when to start daycare looks at age, work plans and readiness.
Pack light but label everything. At Lead, meals, nappies, wipes and sunscreen are provided, so the bag stays small.
Our settling into daycare guide covers the first month week by week.
Guides for this stage
- When to start daycare
- What to pack
- Drop-off routines
- Starting mid-year
- Moving rooms
Everyday care questions
Everyday questions about sleep, food, toileting and development are the ones parents ask us most. The short answers: children rest according to their own routine, eat meals made on site, move toward toilet training at their own pace, and develop on a wide range that is still normal.
Sleep follows Red Nose safe sleeping guidance for babies, and older children rest or have quiet time after lunch.
Food is covered too. Five meals and snacks are prepared at the centre, and we run a Nut Aware kitchen.
For milestones from six months to five years, speech, fine and gross motor skills, and big feelings, start with our child development guides.
Fees and subsidy
Childcare fees make more sense when you look at them after the subsidy. Our daily fee is $170, and for a family earning $100,000 the subsidy rate is 87.70%. On an 11-hour day that leaves a gap of about $30.79 after the 5% withholding, some of which can come back at balancing.
| Step | Amount |
|---|---|
| Daily fee | $170.00 |
| Fee the subsidy is based on (capped) | $167.09 |
| Subsidy at 87.70% | $146.54 |
| Paid to us after withholding | $139.21 |
| Your gap | $30.79 |
Run your own numbers in the childcare cost estimator, or read how fees compare across the state in our guide to childcare costs in NSW.
Getting ready for school
NSW calls the opening year of primary school Kindergarten, and the year before it preschool. Children who have had their fifth birthday on or before 31 July are eligible to begin school that year, and school is compulsory from age six, as the NSW Department of Education explains. Readiness is about independence, friendships and focus as much as letters and numbers.
Our readiness checklist helps you see where your child is now.
The starting school guides cover school orientation days, choosing a primary school and the first term.
At Lead, the year before school includes our School Readiness Program. Begin with Kindergarten in NSW explained.
School guides
- Is your child ready for school?
- Kindergarten in NSW explained
- Starting school in NSW
Ready, set, schoolHealth, safety and inclusion
Health and safety in NSW childcare is set by the national education and care regulations and checked by assessors against the standard's health and safety area, known as Quality Area 2. Our centre was rated Exceeding in that area in 2026. Inclusion means every child can take part fully, with extra support where needed.
Our health guides explain when a child is too sick to attend, NSW exclusion periods, immunisation rules and medication at childcare.
At Lead, educators hold first aid, asthma and anaphylaxis training, and every child with an allergy has a written plan agreed with their family.
A dedicated therapy room supports inclusive practice, and visiting allied health and early intervention professionals can work with children on site.
Read more in our health and safety guides and our guide to inclusion and additional needs.
Getting started, answered
Where do I start if I have never used childcare?+
Start by working out the days you need and your likely cost after the subsidy, then visit two or three centres. Our guides to choosing a centre and to childcare costs in NSW are good first reads, and the cost estimator gives you a personal figure in a few minutes.
How early should I look?+
Begin looking half a year to a year ahead of your start date, earlier for babies or set days. That gives time to tour, compare ratings and join waitlists. Many families start during parental leave, once they know their return-to-work date, and adjust their start date later if needed.
Have a question the guides do not answer?
Ask us in person on a tour; we are happy to help.