How we prioritise access to our early education and care centres

At SDN we prioritise the children and families that need us most. That’s why we’ve developed a Priority of Access Policy, summarised below.

This document applies to our early education and care centres. It does not apply to SDN community preschools, which do not receive Child Care Subsidy.

We try and provide access to as many families as we can, and this policy provides us with a way of prioritising when there is heavy demand for places. While every centre is different, typically demand is heavier for children under 2 years of age.

When you put your child’s name on our waitlist you will be given a score based on the following criteria. However, we reserve the right to exercise discretion depending on individual cases.

If two families have the same score and neither already have a sibling in the centre, we prioritise the family that submitted their application earlier.

Priority one

• Children who are at risk of harm and their siblings are always our first priority.

Priority two

• Children in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families
• Children who have a disability or delay in development
• Children who are applicants to Australia’s refugee and humanitarian program
• Children of SDN staff members
• Siblings of children currently enrolled in the service

Priority three

• Children who are covered by a specific contract arrangement we have for a specific centre. For example, when we partner with a university to provide childcare, any parents who are employed by or studying at this institution will be given priority.

Priority four

• Children in families that include a person with a disability.

For more information call our SDN Enquiry Team on 1300 831 445 or view the full Priority of Access to SDN Services policy here.