What childcare really costs in Redland Bay
By Marcus Quinn · Updated 2026-06-29
Childcare cost questions almost always start with one number, the daily fee, and end somewhere more complicated once the subsidy, absences and extras are factored in. This is general information, not financial advice; treat the figures here as a starting point for your own budgeting, not a quote.
Typical daily fees by care type
Fees vary by centre, age group and inclusions, but the ranges below reflect what families in the area typically see before any subsidy is applied.
| Care type | Typical daily fee range |
|---|---|
| Long day care | Around $120 to $145 |
| Family day care | Around $105 to $130 |
| Kindergarten and preschool | Around $85 to $105 |
| Before and after school care | Around $35 to $50 per session |
Treat these as a planning range, not a quote. The only way to get an exact figure is to ask a specific centre.
What actually drives the price
A handful of factors explain most of the difference between a cheaper and a pricier centre:
- Age group. Rooms for babies and toddlers carry lower educator-to-child ratios, which means more staff per child and a higher cost to run.
- Inclusions. Meals prepared on-site, incursions, and structured programs all add to the fee compared with a bring-your-own-lunch model.
- Qualifications and staffing. Centres with a higher proportion of diploma-qualified educators or lower turnover often sit at the upper end of the range.
- Location and facilities. Purpose-built outdoor space and newer buildings tend to carry higher fees than older, smaller sites.
How the subsidy changes the number that matters
The daily fee is not what most families actually pay. The Child Care Subsidy reduces the out-of-pocket cost for approved care, and most families receive somewhere between 50% and 90% depending on income and activity level. The gap between the full fee and your subsidised rate is called the gap fee, and it is the figure worth focusing on when comparing centres.
For a rough sense of your own weekly out-of-pocket cost, our childcare cost estimator on the homepage walks through care type, days needed and an estimated subsidy rate to give you a working figure before you enrol.
Extra costs to ask about
Beyond the daily fee, ask each centre about:
- a one-off enrolment or bond fee, which some centres charge and others do not
- charges during absences, including public holidays and sick days
- late pick-up fees, which are common and can add up quickly if you are regularly running behind
A centre that is upfront about all of this in writing, rather than only when asked, is usually a good sign.
Thinking in weekly and annual terms
A daily fee is easy to compare, but it is the weekly and annual total that actually affects your budget. Three days a week of long day care adds up very differently across a full year than two, and the gap fee compounds the same way. If you are weighing whether to add or drop a day, work out the annual difference rather than just the daily one, since it is often larger than it first appears once you multiply it across roughly 48 care weeks a year.
Families on a higher income should also be aware of the annual subsidy cap that applies above a certain income threshold. Once that cap is reached, the full daily fee applies for the rest of the financial year, so it is worth checking your projected annual usage if your household is close to that line.
Part-time vs full-time patterns
Reducing from five days to three or four is one of the more common ways families manage cost, particularly once a second parent’s income or a flexible work arrangement makes it possible. This does not always reduce your subsidised hours in the same proportion, since your activity test result sets the total hours available regardless of exactly how you split them across the week, so it is worth checking your specific hours before assuming a straightforward saving.
Comparing centres on cost alone is a mistake
Cheaper is not automatically better, and the corpus of family reviews we work from makes this clear: the centres families rate most highly are not always the least expensive, but they are consistently the ones with steady staff and clear communication. If two centres are close on price, ratios, qualifications and communication style are worth weighing just as heavily as the daily rate.
Our ranking methodology explains how cost fits alongside quality signals like ratios and communication in our scoring, so you can weigh price against the things that matter just as much.
FAQ
- Why do two centres charge such different daily fees?
- Staffing ratios, qualifications, meals, facilities and location all feed into the fee. A centre with a chef on-site or a lower ratio in the baby room usually charges more than a bare-bones option.
- Does the subsidy apply to every type of care?
- The Child Care Subsidy applies to approved care types, which covers most long day care, family day care and outside school hours care. Ask a centre directly if you are unsure whether a specific program is CCS-approved.
- Is family day care usually cheaper than a centre?
- Daily fees for family day care tend to run a little lower than long day care on average, though this varies by educator and location. It is worth comparing actual quotes rather than assuming one is always cheaper.
- What other costs come up beyond the daily fee?
- Some centres charge a one-off enrolment fee, and most ask for advance notice or payment during absences. Ask for a full fee schedule before you enrol, not just the headline daily rate.