Early learning services that have a KindiCare Rating of Outstanding (9.5 and above) are in the top 3% of services nationally delivering an outstanding level of early childhood education and care. Just over 500 services are in this category in 2023 and they are the ones that truly excel in the quality of environment, culture, educators and curriculum. Outstanding centres have typically been operating for many years, have a stable, highly qualified and experienced workforce, and consistently receive outstanding positive feedback from parents and the community, as well as being consistent top performers under the National Quality Framework. All centres in this category are Exceeding the National Quality Standard.

Early learning services that have a KindiCare Rating of Excellent (9.0 - 9.5) provide very high quality education and care to the communities they serve. These services ensure that they are reviewed under the National Quality Framework regularly and have consistent, highly rated feedback from parents who use their services. Only 11.5% of early learning services nationally achieve this KindiCare Rating category, and 95% of the centres in the Excellent category are Exceeding the National Quality Standard.

Early learning services that have a KindiCare Rating of Very Good (8.5 – 9.0) typically exceed the average KindiCare Rating nationally. 97% of services in this category are Meeting or Exceeding the National Quality Standard, and they have very good feedback from parents in the communities they serve. Services in this category provide a better than average early education and care environment, and tend to be operated by experienced providers.

Early learning services that have a KindiCare Rating of Good (7.5 – 8.5) are typically Meeting the National Quality Standard in all or most areas, but may also have limited feedback from the communities they serve or haven’t been assessed under the National Quality Framework within the last three years. 80% of the services in the Good category are Meeting or Exceeding the National Quality Standard.

Early learning services that have a KindiCare Rating of Fair (5.0 – 7.5) typically provide early learning services well below the national average. These services often have limited or poor reviews from families and/or have been typically assessed as Working Towards the National Quality Standard in some or all quality areas. These services can sometimes be new centres that have had their first review, and after being assessed, are identified as having several areas in which to improve. Only 65% of the services in this category are Meeting the National Quality Standard overall.

Early learning services that have a KindiCare Rating of Poor (5.0 and below) typically provide early learning services far below the national average of quality. These services often have limited or poor reviews from families and/or have been assessed as Working Towards or Significant Improvement Required under the National Quality Standard in some or all areas. These services can sometimes be new centres that have had their first review, and after being assessed, are identified as having several areas in which to improve. Only 65% of the services in this category are Meeting the National Quality Standard.

Early learning services that have a KindiCare Rating of Not Rated (NR) are early learning services that have been operating for less than three years since their provisional approval AND have yet to formally undertake their Rating and Assessment by the government regulator, ACECQA, under the National Quality Framework. For centres that are yet to be formally assessed under the National Quality Framework, parents should seek feedback from other parents currently using the service, research parent reviews about the service, and also check whether that brand is operating any other centres in Australia, using the Search by Brand feature on KindiCare. Doing this will give them a feel for if they are a large or small provider, and what quality ratings look like across the other services operated by that early learning brand.