Early childhood education

Your child can start preschool at age 4, if:

• your child turns 4 between January 1 and June 30, they can start preschool at the beginning of the school year (Term 1)
• your child turns 4 after June 30, they can start preschool on or after their 4th birthday if there are places available. They will need to attend preschool for more than 12 months by re-enrolling the following year
• you live in a very remote area, your child can attend preschool from age 3, and you can stay with them during each session if you choose. This helps families transition into the school environment.

Priority enrolment

You can apply to enrol your child in a school of your choice, but priority is given to students living in the school's priority enrolment area.

If a school is approaching or has reached capacity, the school will decline applications from students who live outside its priority enrolment area.

For more information on priority enrolment, read the enrolment management and priority enrolment – guidelines PDF (888.7 KB).

If you're a parent, you can access a range of early childhood education and care services in the Northern Territory (NT).

These may be offered by:

• private providers
• community groups
• government agencies
• individuals.

You can find an early childhood service or preschool service in your local area by either:

• going to the Australian Government's Starting Blocks website, or
• searching for preschools in the education directory.

If you have a concern or complaint about your early childhood education and care service, talk to your service provider first. Your issue may be easily resolved.

Who to contact

If you are unable to resolve the issue with your service provider, contact Quality Education and Care NT (QECNT). This is the independent regulatory body that helps Territorians resolve concerns or complaints.

Contact Quality Education and Care NT by:

• phone 08 8999 3561
• email: qualityecnt.det@education.nt.gov.au

How your concern or complaint is managed

You will be contacted within five days to confirm that your complaint has been received.

Your concern or complaint will be addressed promptly.

Your personal information will be kept confidential unless you give consent to disclose the information.

You will be kept up-to-date with the progress of your concern or complaint.

The team will send you a letter about the outcome of your concern or complaint.

Read about the available subsidies to help you with the cost of child care.

Child Care Subsidy

The Child Care Subsidy (CSS) is administered by the Australian Government to assist families with the cost of early childhood education and care for their children.

For information on the CCS, including eligibility go to the Services Australia website.

Early Childhood Services Subsidy

The Northern Territory Government provides a subsidy direct to early childhood education and care operators to reduce the cost of these services for parents.

Read more about the Early Childhood Services Subsidy.

This page has information on how you can encourage your child to read and learn.

You have an important role in teaching your child how to:

• talk
• get on with others
• show and read emotions
• have a positive sense of self
• read and write.

Helping your child to develop these skills at home can assist them when they go to school.

Encourage your child to play

Encourage play based learning to help your child:

• explore the world – including outdoor natural environments and social environments
• develop and practice social and language skills
• expand and challenge their physical skills and capabilities
• enhance their self-confidence
• think and express themselves creatively
• respond to experiences with or without language
• develop their sense of self and identity
• develop positive attitudes of self-motivation and self-direction
• learn cooperation and group values
• develop curiosity, persistence and concentration
• develop language and numeracy skills.

Help your child to read and write

The following tips may help your child to learn:

• start with simple books with large pictures and contrasting backgrounds
• talk about the pictures to begin with, particularly those your child is interested in
• let your child sit on your lap and position them to see what you are looking at
• use a variety of voices to bring stories alive when reading aloud to your toddler
• let your child turn pages and point to pictures
• ask questions about the pictures and answer questions as well as you can
• ask your child to predict what might happen next
• sometimes point to the words as you read and, if a child is interested in the words and letters, you might talk about them
• use print in the world around and in daily routines to support the importance and purpose of reading
• talk to your child as much as possible about routine events and activities, labelling and describing what is happening
• tell stories such as fairy or traditional tales, made up stories or favourite stories
• give your child crayons, paints, water-based markets and paper to scribble, draw and write
• write their name on pictures in the top left-hand corner
• encourage all efforts to write
• write their stories or descriptions of their pictures on the picture
• display their artwork
• use any chance to encourage writing, such as sending artwork 'letter' to friends or family.

For more information and resources, go to following websites:

• Starting Blocks
• Raising Children

This page has information about how to prepare your child for school.

To prepare your child you can:

• enrol your child in preschool and transition
• encourage your child to be independent
• have a daily routine
• get to know your school
• get involved with your school.

Enrol your child in preschool and transition

Preschool and transition are not compulsory but can help prepare your child for school.

Your child's preschool or transition class may be located on the school grounds. This helps as your child is already familiar with the buildings and grounds when they start school.

You can also ask advice from your child's preschool and transition staff about preparing your child for school.

For more information read about:

• what age to send your child to preschool 
• how to find a preschool provider in your local area.

Encourage your child to be independent

You should practice all of the following tasks with your child:

• pack and carry their school bag
• put on their shoes
• manage their clothes
• eat and drink without help
• go to the toilet on their own
• use tissues to blow their nose
• recognise their belongings.

Have a daily routine

You should set up a daily routine, including:

• go to bed early
• wake up at a set time with time to get ready
• have a healthy breakfast
• prepare a healthy lunch, including items that may be in your child's lunchbox for school
• talk about what to expect during the school day
• make time for physical activities.

Be flexible, as it may take time for your child to adjust to their new routine.

Get to know your school

You should:

• show your child where the school is in relation to home
• walk to school a few times if possible, even if you intend to drive
• ask the school if they have open days or activities for new starters
• ask the school if you can walk your child around the school and grounds
• ask the school what equipment and materials your child needs, most schools have a list
• remember to label your child's possessions with their name
• check the school website.

Before your child's first day, your child should know:

• how to find their classroom
• where to put their things
• where to have their lunch break
• where to meet you at the end of the school day
• where to go for before and after school care, if needed.

Contact your school if you need more information.

Get involved with your school

Take an interest in your child's schooling, be positive and let them know it is important to go to school.

You can do the following:

• meet the teachers
• let them know if anything is affecting your child
• talk to other parents
• volunteer at the school
• read school newsletters and look at the school website.

This page provides information on:

• the National Quality Framework (NQF), ensuring quality education and care services for children
• the National Quality Standard, which rates these services
• Quality Education and Care NT (QECNT), which monitors early childhood education and care standards in the Northern Territory (NT).

National Quality Framework

The NQF regulates and ensures the quality of education and care services.

NQF assist families by:

• making sure services meet the needs of families
• providing parents with information about the quality of the services their children attend.

What services are included

Services in scope of the NQF include:

• long day care
• family day care
• 3-year-old kindergarten
• preschool
• outside school hours care, including vacation care.

For more information on the NQF go to the Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) website.

The National Quality Standard

The NQF includes a National Quality Standard which rates services. The quality rating can help you decide the service that is best for your child.

Quality ratings of local providers are available on the national register of services on the StartingBlocks and ACECQA websites.

For more information on the National Quality Standard go to the ACECQA website.

Quality Education and Care NT

QECNT is responsible for ensuring the NQF is applied in the NT.

The role of QECNT includes:

• approving early childhood services
• monitoring early childhood services
• rating the quality of services
• undertaking serious incident and complaint investigations.

For more information go to the Department of Education website.

Contact

You can contact Quality Education and Care NT by either:

• phone: 08 8999 3561
• email: qualityecnt.det@nt.gov.au.

Further Information for providers and services can be found on the Department of Education's, QECNT page.

You and your child can access early childhood support through:

• education and learning programs
• child and family centres.

For more information and to find a suitable service read below.

In the NT, early childhood education is provided by qualified educators who understand how children grow and learn.

Families can access high-quality, play-based services that support brain development and enhance physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and language skills.

Go to Startingblocks.gov.au for more information on local early childhood education and care services.

Early childhood education services

The types of early childhood education services available in the NT include :

• long day care
• family day care
• outside school hours care
• preschool
• Families as First Teachers.

Long day care

Long day care, or centre-based care, provides education and care for children from birth to school age.

These services typically operate from 7:30am to 6pm to meet the needs of families.

Children are usually grouped by age and developmental stage.

Family day care

Family day care is regulated form of early childhood education and care that is provided in a family day care educators own home.

This service can provide flexible care including before and after school, weekends, and overnight care.

Limits apply to the number of children who can be cared for in a home at one time.

Outside school hours care

Outside school hours care provides supervised care and recreation programs for primary school age children:

• before and after school
• school holidays
• pupil-free days.

These services are generally located in primary schools but can also operate from other community facilities.

Preschool (kindergarten)

Preschool is a structured, play based learning program delivered by a qualified early childhood teacher.

Most preschools in the NT are part of a school, however long day care services may also provide a preschool program.

Children usually go to preschool at the age of 4.

For more information read about the age your child goes to preschool.

Families as First Teachers

Families as First Teachers (FaFT) delivers quality early learning and parent support programs to young children and their families. It develops place-based programs to engage families and communities, and build parents’ capacity to give their children the best start in life.

Find out more about Families as First Teachers