Ten questions.
One confident choice.

Why the questions matter

Every centre looks its best on tour day. What matters is week thirty — who is standing in the room, how the day actually flows, and how calmly your child settles in. The difference between centres rarely shows in the paint colours; it shows in the answers to the questions below.

Ask all ten at every centre you visit, and write the answers down as you go. A good centre welcomes the questions — it has nothing to hide.

1. Who will care for my child — and for how long?

Consistency is everything in the early years. Ask who your child's primary educator will be, how long the team has been together, and the educator-to-child ratio in each room. NSW minimums are 1:4 for children under two, 1:5 for two-year-olds and 1:10 for preschoolers — but stable, familiar faces matter more than the bare minimum.

At Smart Steps: Nursery 1:4, Toddlers 1:5 and Preschool 1:10, in a family-run centre built to keep educators in the room for the long haul. Meet our educators.

2. What does a typical day look like?

You're listening for rhythm, not rigidity. A good answer walks you through the shape of the day — unhurried arrivals, a mix of indoor and outdoor play, shared mealtimes, quiet rest — and shows how the day bends around each child rather than the clock.

At Smart Steps: every room follows a gentle, predictable rhythm with generous outdoor time. Walk through a day at Smart Steps.

3. How do you handle meals, allergies and dietary needs?

Ask who cooks, what a sample menu looks like, and exactly how allergies are managed in the kitchen and the room. Vague answers here are a red flag — food handling should be a point of pride, not an afterthought.

At Smart Steps: an in-house chef cooks five meals a day on-site — fully halal, with every allergy and dietary need catered for. See our meals and nutrition.

4. How do you keep children safe?

Look for specifics: secure sign-in and sign-out, supervised entry, sleep checks for babies, clear pickup authorisation rules, and coverage across the centre. Safety should be described as daily practice, not just cameras on a wall.

At Smart Steps: secure sign-in, supervised access, careful sleep and supervision routines, and comprehensive CCTV coverage across the centre. Read about child safety.

5. What will my child actually learn?

Every centre says "play-based learning". Ask what that means in practice — which framework guides the program, how it's planned for each age group, and what a learning experience looks like for a one-year-old versus a four-year-old.

At Smart Steps: the national Early Years Learning Framework, enriched with Arkki — a Finnish creative program usually reserved for school-age children, adapted here from the nursery up. Explore our approach.

6. How will you help my child settle in?

The first weeks set the tone for years. Ask how orientation works, whether shorter first days are offered, how they handle upset at drop-off, and when they'll call you if your child is having a hard day.

At Smart Steps: a gradual, unhurried settling-in plan shaped around your child — with honest daily communication from day one. See how enrolment works.

7. How will I know what's happening in my child's day?

Ask which app or platform they use, what gets shared and how often — photos, meals, sleeps, nappy changes, learning notes. You want a centre that documents the day as a habit, not when someone remembers.

At Smart Steps: real-time updates through the OWNA app, so meals, sleeps and milestones reach you as they happen.

8. What's actually included in the fee?

Daily fees can hide a long list of extras. Ask precisely what the fee covers — meals, nappies, sunscreen, hats, excursions, learning programs — and what arrives as a separate charge on the statement.

At Smart Steps: one all-inclusive $155 day — five chef-made meals, nappies and wipes, sunscreen, a Smart Steps hat, bed linen and all learning materials. Just bring a spare change of clothes. See what's included.

9. How does the Child Care Subsidy work here?

Ask whether the centre is a registered CCS provider, how the hourly fee sits against the government cap, and whether they'll help you estimate your real out-of-pocket cost before you commit.

At Smart Steps: a registered service whose hourly rate sits under the CCS cap — plus NSW Start Strong fee relief for preschool-age children — with a calculator to estimate your real weekly cost. Try the CCS calculator.

10. When can my child start — and what then?

Ask about availability for your child's age group, how the waitlist works, and what happens between joining and the first day. A confident answer here tells you the centre is organised well beyond the tour.

At Smart Steps: we open in January 2027. When places are allocated, priority may be given to children needing wellbeing support, children with disability or additional needs, and First Nations families. Join the waitlist.

Red flags to watch for

See it for yourself

The best guide is your own eyes — watch how educators crouch to children's eye level, how the day sounds, and how your child reacts to the space. Book a tour at Smart Steps and bring these ten questions with you; we'll be glad you did.