Why we choose lower ratios than the regulator requires
The national rules are a floor, not a ceiling. Here's why our staffing model goes further.
Australia’s National Quality Standard sets minimum educator-to-child ratios: 1:4 for under twos, 1:5 for two-year-olds, and 1:10 for three-and-overs in WA. They’re sensible minimums, but they’re minimums.
We staff to a tighter ratio in every room. Our two-year-olds run at 1:8. Our toddlers run at 1:5 even though we could legally run at 1:5 with a smaller minimum staff count. The difference shows up in everything — calmer transitions, longer story times, more individual conversations.
Lower ratios aren’t free. They mean fewer enrolment places per square metre, which means a smaller centre. We chose that trade-off deliberately when we opened in 2002, and 24 years later we’re glad we did.
If you’re touring centres, ask not just about ratios but about staffing consistency. A 1:5 ratio doesn’t mean much if the educator changes every few months. Look for tenure, look for warmth, look for who knows the children’s names when they walk past.
