Family Day Care (In-Home Educators) in Perth Metropolitan
How family day care works in Perth, what to check before enrolling, and how we rank 44 local in-home educators.
Family day care places a small group of children in an educator's own home rather than in a centre. Across Perth Metropolitan, 44 registered educators run this kind of care, usually taking on a handful of children of mixed ages under a coordination scheme that handles registration, compliance checks and support visits on the educator's behalf. It suits parents who want a smaller, more home-like setting, flexible hours (some educators offer early mornings, evenings or weekends), or a sibling group cared for together rather than split into age-based rooms.
What to look for before enrolling
Family day care sits under the same National Quality Framework as centre-based care, so the educator and their scheme should be able to show you a current quality rating, working with children checks, first aid certification, and a written policy on things like nutrition, rest, illness, and emergency procedures. Beyond the paperwork, visit the home itself: check the space children actually use, how many kids are on the day you're asking about, and whether the educator's daily routine and approach to play, meals and outdoor time fits your child. Ask how the coordinating scheme supervises the educator and what happens if the educator is sick.
Our ranked guide to family day care in Perth scores all 44 educators and services on consistency of care, compliance history, availability and how they compare on the details parents ask about most, so you can shortlist faster than searching one by one. The full scoring approach, including what counts and what doesn't, is explained on our methodology page.
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All family day care (in-home educators), ranked by score and relevance
We found 44 businesses offering family day care (in-home educators); 21 met the criteria for the scored directory. The order weighs each business's overall score by how much of its reviewed work is family day care (in-home educators), so a lower-scored specialist can rank above a higher-scored generalist. Filter and sort below, or open the full map view.
When you submit a quote or contact form here, we may share your enquiry with partner providers who can do the work. We may receive a referral fee for those introductions, but our rankings and scores are based on our published method only and are never affected by referral payments.
Common questions about family day care (in-home educators)
- How much does family day care cost in Perth?
- Fees are set by the individual educator rather than a fixed rate, and typically sit close to long day care centre fees per hour, though many families pay less out of pocket once the Child Care Subsidy is applied. Ask each educator for their hourly or daily rate plus any non-refundable booking or enrolment fees before you commit.
- How many days a week do families typically use family day care?
- It ranges from one day a week for a top-up arrangement alongside a grandparent or partner, up to five full days for working parents. Because group sizes are small, spots on popular days (especially Mondays and Fridays) fill first, so it pays to ask about availability on the specific days you need.
- What should I expect on a typical day?
- Expect a home-based routine built around meals, rest or nap time, outdoor play and age-appropriate activities, usually with a smaller and more mixed-age group than a centre room. Most educators send through a daily diary or app update covering meals, sleep, nappy changes or toileting, and mood.
- How can I judge the quality of a family day care educator?
- Check their current quality rating under the National Quality Standard, ask the coordinating scheme how often they visit and what support they provide, and look at how the educator handles communication, illness policy and continuity of care if they're ever unavailable. Our ranked guide weighs these factors alongside parent feedback to make comparing educators easier.
Guides to choosing family day care (in-home educators)
- Family day care vs a long day care centre: how to choose
The real differences between family day care and long day care centres in Perth, on group size, setting, hours and cost, to help you pick the right fit.