In this section you will find information on the support available for child care services. This includes:
Child Care Services Support Program – Community Support Program
The Australian Government is committed to supporting child care services to provide quality care and early learning opportunities for all children.
The Child Care Services Support Program is funded by the Australian Government to support and promote access to quality child care and early learning for children, families and communities through strategies that complement the significant assistance provided to families through Child Care Benefit and the Child Care Tax Rebate.
The Community Support Program is a part of the Child Care Services Support Program and includes a range of payments designed to deliver improved access to child care through support for establishment of new services and maintenance of services especially in areas where the market would otherwise fail to provide child care services.
The Community Support Program includes a range of payments dependent on the type of child care service, its size and location. Please select your service type for more information:
The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) is currently seeking applications from operators of In Home Care and Occasional Care services or persons applying for approval of such services, interested in receiving an allocation of In Home Care or Occasional Care places, or an additional allocation of such places. Further information, including application guidelines and application forms, can be found on the In Home Care and Occasional Care Allocation page.
Inclusion and Professional Support Program (IPSP)
The Inclusion and Professional Support Program promotes and maintains high quality care and inclusion for all children in eligible child care services, by facilitating skill development of educators and increasing the capacity of child care services through the provision of professional development, advice and inclusion support.
The IPSP is an integrated approach to supporting and enhancing the inclusion and professional development needs of child care services and promotes good practice and continuous improvement in service delivery.
The IPSP comprises the following elements:
- Inclusion Support Program (ISP): funds the Inclusion Support Agencies (ISAs) and National Inclusion Support Subsidy Provider (NISSP) to support child care services to improve access and inclusion for children with additional needs.
- Professional Support Program (PSP): funds the Professional Support Coordinators (PSCs) and Indigenous Professional Support Units (IPSUs) to provide professional development, advice or resources to assist child care services to provide quality care.