Choosing a childcare centre a parent’s tour guide. 5 things to check when touring a childcare centre.
A 30-minute tour tells you more than any website. Use these five checks at every centre you visit, in Forrestdale or anywhere else, and compare the answers side by side. Everwood’s own answers sit beside each one, so you can hold us to the same standard.
- Works for any centre
- Questions to ask
- WA ratios and CCS explained
The checklist
What should I check on a childcare tour? These five things.
The quality rating
Before you visit, look the centre up on ACECQA’s national register. You’ll see its National Quality Standard (NQS) rating, a rating for each of the seven quality areas, and when it was rated.
Everwood’s answer: rated Meeting NQS in all seven quality areas in May 2026. See it on the ACECQA register.
The educators
Watch the people more than the furniture. Do educators get down to children’s level, use their names and comfort them quickly? Ask who would be in your child’s room and how long they’ve been at the centre.
Everwood’s answer: owner Issy is a qualified teacher and mum, and you can meet our educators on your tour.
Ratios and who is in the room
WA sets minimum educator-to-child ratios by age: 1:4 for babies up to 24 months, 1:5 for children over 24 months and under 36 months, and 1:10 from 36 months to preschool age. Ask how rooms are staffed early and late in the day too.
Everwood’s answer: ask us on your tour how each room is staffed through the day.
Food, sleep and outdoor play
Ask to see where children eat, sleep and play outside. Who cooks the meals? How are allergies handled? Can nap times follow your routine at home?
Everwood’s answer: an on-site chef cooks fresh meals every day, nap times are kept in step with home, and nature is part of every day, from the garden beds to the sandpit.
How you’ll hear about your child
Ask which app the centre uses, what you’ll see during the day and how to reach your child’s room. Clear communication gives you peace of mind while you are apart.
Everwood’s answer: photos and updates through Xplor and Earlyworks, and educators who are just a chat, text or email away.
What to look for
What does good care look like on a tour? Warm, calm and responsive.
The clearest signs of quality are in how educators and children are together, especially with babies and toddlers.
Spend a few minutes just watching a room. You are looking for children who seem settled and busy, and educators who notice them.
- Warm, consistent educators
- Calm, predictable routines
- Comfort offered quickly when a child is upset
- Conversation and language all day
- Families treated as partners
Questions to ask
What should I ask on a childcare tour? Take this list with you.
Write down each centre’s answers to these tour questions so you can compare them later. A good centre will be glad you asked.
About the people
- Who would be with my child each day?
- How long have the educators in that room been here?
- What qualifications does the team hold?
- How do you help a new child settle in?
About the day
- Who cooks the meals, and can I see this week’s menu?
- How do you handle allergies and dietary needs?
- Can nap times follow our routine at home?
- What happens if my child becomes unwell during the day?
About you and the cost
- How will I get updates, and how often?
- Can I visit or call during the day?
- What will I pay after the Child Care Subsidy?
- Is there a waitlist for my child’s age group?
Prefer it on paper? Download our free childcare centre tour checklist (PDF), or read the 5 warning signs a centre is cutting corners.
Check a rating yourself
How do I check a centre’s NQS rating? On ACECQA’s register.
Go to ACECQA’s national register
The Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) publishes the rating of every approved service. Start at acecqa.gov.au and open its national register of services.
Search for the centre
Search by the centre’s name or suburb and open its entry. For example, here is Everwood’s entry on the ACECQA register.
Read all seven quality areas
Look past the overall rating to each quality area, from the learning programme and health and safety to staffing, relationships with children and leadership.
Check the level and the date
From lowest to highest, the levels are Significant Improvement Required, Working Towards NQS, Meeting NQS, Exceeding NQS and Excellent. Note when the centre was rated, as a new centre may not be assessed yet.
Fees and the Child Care Subsidy
What will childcare cost us? Work it out after the subsidy.
When you compare childcare costs, the daily fee is only part of the picture. What you pay depends on your Child Care Subsidy (CCS) and how many hours are subsidised.
Since 5 January 2026, the 3 Day Guarantee has given every family eligible for CCS at least 72 subsidised hours a fortnight for each child, and some families get 100 hours. The FAQ below explains who qualifies.
Everwood’s answer: we’re an approved CCS provider. Use our calculator for an estimate, and we’ll confirm current fees on your tour.
- Ask what the daily fee includes, such as meals
- Ask which days are available in your child’s room
- Check your subsidised hours with Services Australia
Ready to test Everwood against this list?
Bring your questions to a 30-minute tour at 30 Anstey Road, Forrestdale, and ask us every one.
Questions parents ask
Choosing childcare, quick answers.
How do I know if a childcare centre is good?
Start with the centre’s National Quality Standard rating on ACECQA’s register, then visit. On the tour, watch how educators talk with children, ask about ratios and communication, and see where children eat, sleep and play outside.
What is the ratio for 3 year olds in WA?
In Western Australia, the required educator-to-child ratio is 1:10 for children from 36 months to preschool age. For younger children it is 1:4 from birth to 24 months and 1:5 from over 24 months to under 36 months (ACECQA ratio table).
How long does a childcare tour take?
Allow about 30 minutes for a childcare tour. That is enough time to see the rooms and outdoor spaces, meet educators and ask your questions, and it is how long tours at Everwood take.
What is the 3 Day Guarantee?
The 3 Day Guarantee is the Child Care Subsidy change that started on 5 January 2026. Each child in an eligible family gets at least 72 subsidised hours a fortnight, rising to 100 hours where each parent does more than 48 hours of recognised participation a fortnight. Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children get 100 hours as well (Services Australia).
How much will childcare cost after the subsidy?
What you pay after the subsidy depends on the centre’s fees, your CCS percentage and your subsidised hours. For Everwood, use our CCS calculator for an estimate, and we’ll confirm current fees on your tour.
Is there a printable tour checklist?
Yes, Everwood’s free childcare centre tour checklist is a printable PDF you can take to every centre you visit.
Find us
Just off Armadale Road.
30 Anstey Road, Forrestdale WA 6112
Everwood is on Anstey Road, just north of Armadale Road, with parking on site. Most families are 5 to 9 minutes away.
Drive times to Everwood
- Piara Waters: about 5 min
- Harrisdale: about 6 min
- Haynes: about 7 min
- Seville Grove: about 7 min
- Banjup: about 7 min
- Treeby: about 8 min
- Hilbert: about 8 min
- Champion Lakes: about 8 min
- Armadale: about 9 min
- Southern River: about 9 min
- Canning Vale: about 9 min
- Kelmscott: about 12 min
- Byford: about 15 min
Drive times: Google Maps, outside peak traffic. On-site parking.
Get directions ↗Come and see for yourself
Book your Everwood tour.
Choose a day and time, then add your details once. Tours take about 30 minutes: walk through the rooms, meet our educators, and ask anything.