Early childhood service approval

Applications for service approval relate to the service premises where children receive education and care. This could be a centre or family day care (FDC) residence (home) or venue.

Service approval cannot be approved until provider approval is granted.

For accessibility, we use the following terms on this page:

service premises – refers to early childhood service premises
National Law – refers to the Education and Care Services National Law
regulations – refers to the Education and Care Services National Regulations (National Regulations).

Types of service approval

There are 2 types of service approval under the National Quality Framework (NQF):

Centre-based services: long day care (LDC), kindergarten and outside school hours care.
Family day care services: delivered by 2 or more educators working in 2 or more homes or venues.

Before you apply

You need service approval to operate an education and care service in Victoria.

To apply for service approval, you must hold or have applied for provider approval. Service approval cannot be approved until provider approval is granted.

Approved providers must apply to us for a service approval in Victoria. This includes providers that have been approved in other states or territories.

Read the information on service approval in the Guide to the NQF.

Premises requirements

Your service premises must meet requirements under the National Law and Regulations.

For detailed information refer to:

Premises requirements for long day care and kindergarten (DOCX, 155KB)
Physical environment (Guide to the NQF) – Quality Area 3 (operational requirements) information for all service types.

Space requirements

The number of children you can have at your service depends on how much usable indoor and outdoor space is available. This space must be clear and safe for children to use.

For more details, see: space requirements at early childhood services.

How to apply

Requirements are different for centre-based and family day care services.

To apply, select the option that relates to your service type and follow the steps.

Applications for a new centre-based service must be submitted through NQA ITS.
Refer to the Guide to the NQF links below for a list of documents you must provide:
- regulations 24 and 25
- regulations 24, 25 and 25A.

Fees

All service approval application fees must be paid online through NQA ITS.

If payment is not received by the due date, the application will be made invalid.

How we assess your application

We will assess your application to make sure it meets the requirements of the National Law and National Regulations.

Read about how we consider applications for service approval.

Incomplete applications

We will not accept or assess your application if it is incomplete.

If your application is missing information, it will be invalid. If you want to resubmit or make a new application, you will need to pay the application fee again.

Notification of decision

We will make a decision on your application within 90 calendar days of VECRA receiving a complete application.

This period may be extended with the applicant’s agreement. There is no limit on how long this may be if the applicant agrees.

If more information is requested, the time taken to provide it is not included in the 90 day period.

We will notify you within 7 days of the decision on your application.

From 27 February 2026, if your service approval is not approved, you cannot reapply for 12 months. In some circumstances we may allow you to reapply sooner.

After service approval is granted

Once your service is approved, you must:

start operating within 6 months of the approval date (unless we agree to more time)
have the required insurance for your service
prepare Quality Improvement Plan with 3 months and provide it if requested
pay the annual service fee by 1 July each year
display your service approval certificate where it can be clearly seen from the main entrance.

Conditions imposed on service approval

We may apply a condition to your service approval when it is granted or at any other time.

You must follow these conditions. There are serious penalties if you do not comply.

All services must:
- keep children safe and support their health and wellbeing
- meet children’s education and development needs
- have enough coordinators to support and monitor educators (for family day care only)
- follow the Child Safe Standards.
All FDC services in Victoria must meet specific conditions to manage bushfire and grassfire risks.
Approved providers must identify educators who operate from a home or venue in an area prone to bushfire or grassfire.
Providers must also make sure services:
- close on days with a ‘Catastrophic’ fire danger rating for their location
- have and maintain an Emergency Management Plan for educators to manage bushfire and grassfire risks.
The Victorian Emergency Management Commissioner declares ‘Catastrophic’ fire danger rating days.
For more information, see: managing bushfire and grassfire risks in early childhood services.

Changes to service approval

You can apply to remove, add or change the conditions on your service approval.

Applications to add or remove must be made through NQA ITS.

Relocating an existing centre-based service

You must apply for a new service approval if you want to move an approved centre-based service to a new location.

Please contact us to discuss your situation before relocating:

to new premises, or
due to exceptional circumstances.

Contact us

For more information or assistance, please contact us:

Phone: 1300 307 415 between 9 am to 5 pm (Monday to Friday)
Email: vecra.licensing@education.vic.gov.au.

Early childhood

Updated 1 June 2026