Before & After School Care / Vacation Care in Brisbane
What this service covers
Before and after school care (often called OSHC, or outside school hours care) picks up where the school day leaves off. Centres open early for breakfast and supervised play before the bell, then run again in the afternoon with activities, homework time and a snack until parents can collect their kids, usually somewhere between 6pm and 6:30pm. Vacation care fills the same need across school holidays, running full days with excursions, incursions, sport and craft rather than just before-and-after blocks. In Brisbane, most of these programs run out of school halls, gyms or dedicated rooms on-site, though some independent providers run from nearby community centres.
We've looked at 9 providers offering this care across Brisbane, from school-based OSHC services to standalone operators covering multiple campuses.
What to check before you enrol
Confirm which schools or suburbs a provider actually services, since most only pick up from a set list of campuses or run a bus loop with fixed stops. Ask about staff-to-child ratios, whether educators hold current Working with Children checks, and how vacation care excursions are staffed and planned. Check the booking system too: some services need permanent bookings, others let you book casual days online with a cut-off time, which matters if your work hours change week to week. Costs vary by session length and whether the Child Care Subsidy applies, so ask for the fee before and after subsidy, not just the headline rate.
How we score providers
Our ranking weighs things like ratio compliance, program variety in vacation care, communication with parents, and how consistently a service delivers across terms rather than just at open day. See the full breakdown on our methodology page, and jump straight to the ranked list on our best before and after school care and vacation care guide.
Find childcare availability for before & after school care / vacation care
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All before & after school care / vacation care, ranked by score and relevance
We found 9 businesses offering before & after school care / vacation care; 7 met the criteria for the scored directory. The order weighs each business's overall score by how much of its reviewed work is before & after school care / vacation care, so a lower-scored specialist can rank above a higher-scored generalist. Filter and sort below, or open the full map view.
Enquiries submitted through our forms may be shared with partner providers able to do the work, and we may receive a referral fee. Our rankings and scores follow our published method only and are not affected by referral fees.
Common questions about before & after school care / vacation care
- How much does before and after school care cost in Brisbane?
- Session fees typically sit somewhere between $25 and $45 for before or after school care, and $70 to $100 or more for a full vacation care day including excursions. Most families are eligible for the Child Care Subsidy, which can bring the out-of-pocket cost down significantly depending on household income and activity level, so always ask for the post-subsidy estimate rather than comparing headline prices.
- How often do families use this kind of care?
- Some families book a fixed pattern every week (say, three afternoons) to cover work hours, while others use it casually, one or two days here and there, or only during school holidays when regular routines break down. Most providers offer both permanent and casual booking options, though casual spots in popular vacation care programs can fill up fast, especially for excursion days.
- What should I expect from a typical vacation care day?
- A normal day runs from around 6:30am or 7am drop-off through to 6pm pickup, with a mix of free play, structured activities (sport, craft, cooking), and at least one excursion or incursion during the week, like a bus trip to a local pool, cinema or park, or an incursion where an entertainer or workshop comes to the centre. Bring a hat, water bottle and packed lunch unless the provider states otherwise.
- How can I judge the quality of a before and after school care program?
- Look past the facilities and ask about staff consistency (do the same educators show up week to week, or is it a rotating casual pool), how they handle behaviour and inclusion for kids with additional needs, and how vacation care programs are planned, whether activities are age-appropriate for both prep-aged kids and older primary students in the same room. Parent communication, like daily updates or an app, is also a good sign of a well-run service.
Guides to choosing before & after school care / vacation care
- Planning ahead for school holiday and vacation care in Brisbane
How to plan around Brisbane's four school holiday periods each year, from booking vacation care early to what a typical day actually involves.