Is Open Childcare free?
Yes. It is free for parents, with no sign-up, no paid listings and no paid ranking.
Where does the information come from?
From official government lists where they are open: the New Zealand Ministry of Education ECE Directory and Ofsted’s list of childcare providers in England. In other countries, including Australia for now, listings come from OpenStreetMap. Every listing shows its source and the date we last checked it.
Do you rate or review childcare services?
No. We do not publish reviews, ratings or “best” lists. Where an official regulator publishes inspection reports, we link to the official page so you can read it there.
How do I search?
Type a suburb, town or postcode (spelling mistakes are fine), or tap “Use my location”. Results show within 25 km by default; you can change the distance and filter by type.
How do I work out childcare costs and subsidies?
Use your government’s official calculator. Links are on our Costs and subsidies page. We do not calculate subsidies ourselves.
Something is wrong in a listing. What do I do?
Tap “Report wrong info” on the listing. We check reports against the official source. Services can also update their details with their regulator.
Can I compare services?
Yes. Tap “Save to compare” on up to 10 services and open the Compare page. Your list stays on your device.
Is my location stored?
No. If you use “My location”, it is only used in your browser to search nearby and is not saved.