Your suburb search opens the wider Dapto - Port Kembla region. These figures describe that whole area; suburb-only history is not available in this release.
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Government-approved services that reported at least one session of subsidised care during January–March 2026.
The total covers centre-based day care, outside school hours care, family day care and in-home care services. It is not a count of long day care centres alone.
This government release publishes an area total, not the individual service names or IDs. We do not have a verified list of the 50 services behind this figure. A directory of services today would not establish which services were counted in this historical quarter.
Check the original government workbook ↗Dapto - Port Kembla region · January–March 2026
Includes school-age and home-based care. Individual service names are not supplied in this release.
40 services in July–September 2019, compared with 50 in January–March 2026. 25.0% more. This does not identify individual openings or closures.
Per child, before the government Child Care Subsidy is deducted. This is the hourly fee, not a daily fee or the amount a family pays after subsidy.
Average across 36 centre-based day care services in the whole region. That is the fee sample, not a list of all services in the total above.
50.0% higher than October–December 2018. Prices are not adjusted for inflation; the services in the sample can change.
Each bar is the number of services reporting care in that quarter. Scroll sideways to see all quarters. A missing bar means no published figure, not zero services. These counts do not measure available childcare places.
June 2020 is missing because of temporary COVID-19 relief arrangements. The service total and fee sample cover different groups. Early quarters have fees but no regional service count.
| Quarter | Services | Hourly fee | Services in fee sample | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-Q3 | Unavailable | Unavailable | Unavailable | Original workbook ↗ |
| 2018-Q4 | Unavailable | $9.42 | 29 | Original workbook ↗ |
| 2019-Q1 | Unavailable | $9.61 | 29 | Original workbook ↗ |
| 2019-Q2 | Unavailable | $9.64 | 30 | Original workbook ↗ |
| 2019-Q3 | 40 | $9.95 | 30 | Original workbook ↗ |
| 2019-Q4 | 40 | $10.01 | 30 | Original workbook ↗ |
| 2020-Q1 | 43 | $10.09 | 31 | Original workbook ↗ |
| 2020-Q3 | 44 | $10.12 | 31 | Original workbook ↗ |
| 2020-Q4 | 45 | $10.13 | 31 | Original workbook ↗ |
| 2021-Q1 | 45 | $10.25 | 31 | Original workbook ↗ |
| 2021-Q2 | 45 | $10.38 | 31 | Original workbook ↗ |
| 2021-Q3 | 45 | $10.50 | 31 | Original workbook ↗ |
| 2021-Q4 | 45 | $10.50 | 31 | Original workbook ↗ |
| 2022-Q1 | 47 | $10.63 | 32 | Original workbook ↗ |
| 2022-Q2 | 48 | $10.66 | 34 | Original workbook ↗ |
| 2022-Q3 | 47 | $11.13 | 34 | Original workbook ↗ |
| 2022-Q4 | 48 | $11.16 | 34 | Original workbook ↗ |
| 2023-Q1 | 47 | $11.38 | 35 | Original workbook ↗ |
| 2023-Q2 | 46 | $11.31 | 34 | Original workbook ↗ |
| 2023-Q3 | 46 | $11.96 | 34 | Original workbook ↗ |
| 2023-Q4 | 47 | $12.02 | 35 | Original workbook ↗ |
| 2024-Q1 | 46 | $12.26 | 34 | Original workbook ↗ |
| 2024-Q2 | 45 | $12.20 | 33 | Original workbook ↗ |
| 2024-Q3 | 45 | $12.91 | 33 | Original workbook ↗ |
| 2024-Q4 | 46 | $12.99 | 34 | Original workbook ↗ |
| 2025-Q1 | 46 | $13.34 | 34 | Original workbook ↗ |
| 2025-Q2 | 48 | $13.49 | 36 | Original workbook ↗ |
| 2025-Q3 | 47 | $14.02 | 35 | Original workbook ↗ |
| 2025-Q4 | 49 | $14.08 | 36 | Original workbook ↗ |
| 2026-Q1 | 50 | $14.13 | 36 | Original workbook ↗ |
The Department of Education reported 50 childcare services across the whole region in January–March 2026. These services reported at least one subsidised session of care during the quarter. The count includes centre-based day care, outside school hours care, family day care and in home care. It is not a suburb-only centre count.
Check the Department of Education source ↗The published centre-based day care average is $14.13 per child per hour in January–March 2026, before Child Care Subsidy. The fee sample contains 36 services. This is an average across the source population, not a quote for a particular centre or a daily rate.
Check the Department of Education source ↗The published count increased by 10 between July–September 2019 and January–March 2026. This compares reporting service totals. It does not identify individual openings or closures, or tell us how many childcare places were added. Fees and service counts may cover different sets of services.
Check the Department of Education source ↗Regional history helps frame a decision, but a site assessment needs an exact address and a defined catchment. Use a detailed report to investigate nearby competitors, child-age population, available local fees and development evidence. Confirm occupancy, staffing, planning and financial assumptions separately.
Prepared by Child Care Demand for operators, developers and childcare buyers. Read the methodology and coverage. Contact support@childcaredemand.com with a source correction.
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Find it in: Sources · Share · PrintPublished regional service counts and fee history. Useful for exploring an area and comparing how it has changed.
An exact address and your selected catchment, with named nearby services, local demand, available fees and development evidence. Broader historical context is included separately.
Coverage varies by location and source. Missing fees, capacity or development details are labelled. A report supports your due diligence; it does not verify occupancy, guarantee demand or replace planning advice. The historical aggregate does not identify every service counted in earlier quarters.
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