What is an approved provider?

In Australia, an approved provider is an organisation or person granted legal authority to run an education and care service under the National Law. This status is essential for any entity offering childcare, preschool, or similar early learning services, including long day care centres, family day care services, and outside-school-hours care.

Becoming an approved provider requires meeting strict regulatory requirements set by regulatory bodies in each state or territory. In Western Australia, this includes demonstrating financial viability, ensuring staff hold appropriate qualifications, and maintaining compliance with the National Quality Framework. The National Law sets minimum standards across areas like child safety, educator-to-child ratios, and service quality.

The approved provider status matters because it ensures services operate under consistent national standards and are accountable to regulators. Parents and guardians can verify a service holds approval as confirmation that it has met mandatory safety, staffing, and educational requirements. Approved providers must maintain their status through ongoing compliance, regular quality assessments, and adherence to updated regulations. Services that operate without approval are operating illegally.