An Australian mum posted in a parenting forum recently, asking whether she was overreacting: her three-year-old's daycare was showing YouTube videos daily and full-length Netflix movies once a month, without telling parents. The centre's response when she asked? The screens were for education only.
Parents in the comments were split. Some said they'd never even thought to ask about screen time at childcare. Others said they'd noticed the same thing at pickup and said nothing.
What the guidelines say about screens at childcare
Australian childcare centres operate under the National Quality Framework and the Early Years Learning Framework. Both are clear that quality early childhood education is built on active, play-based learning and genuine interaction between educators and children. ACECQA's guidance states that screen use should be intentional, minimal, and tied to specific learning outcomes. It shouldn't be passive nor incidental, and not a stand-in for educator supervision.
On total daily limits, Australian Government health guidelines recommend no recreational screen time at all for children under two, and no more than one hour per day for children aged two to five. Critically, that one-hour limit covers the entire day, and that's home and childcare combined. A child who watched half an episode of something before drop-off has already used half their daily allocation before the day at childcare has even begun.
Most parents don't know this. And most centres don't bring it up.
Why screens show up at childcare in the first place
The majority of quality long day care centres for under-5s aim to be screen-free, and many are proud of it. A full day of outdoor play, craft, music, group reading, and hands-on learning doesn't leave a lot of room for screens — and that's by design.
But screens do appear at some centres, and the pattern is fairly consistent: they tend to come out in the afternoon. Staffing ratios drop, structured activities wind down, and there's a group of tired children waiting for parents who are still stuck in the 5pm commute. A screen is a quick, easy solution to a genuinely difficult part of the day.
Understanding when and why screens are used gives you a much clearer picture of what your child's day actually looks like — which is exactly the kind of thing worth knowing before you enrol.
Not all screen time at childcare is the same
A short, educator-led activity using an educational app as part of a planned program is a very different thing from a TV running in the background at 4pm. The first is intentional and connected to learning. The second is convenience. Both exist at childcare centres across Australia, and only one of them aligns with what ACECQA describes as appropriate screen use in an early childhood setting.
Screen use that sits within the spirit of the NQF tends to look like:
- A specific video clip used to introduce a topic the group is actively exploring
- An interactive educational app used as part of a structured activity
- Digital storytelling or e-books shared with a group, with educator involvement
- A video call connecting a child with their family as part of a settling routine
Screen use that sits outside it tends to look like a TV on in the corner, content that has no clear connection to the day's program, or screens being used to keep children occupied while staff attend to other things.
The questions worth asking your centre
Screen time policy rarely comes up on a standard childcare tour. If it matters to your family — in either direction — it's worth raising it directly. A centre that has thought carefully about its approach will have a clear and confident answer. One that hasn't might get a bit vague.
Some questions that will give you a real picture:
- Does your centre have a written screen time policy?
- When and how are screens used during the day?
- What content do children watch, and how is it selected?
- How does screen use connect to your educational program?
- How much total screen time would my child typically have across a day?
- How do you handle the late afternoon when staffing ratios change?
These questions aren't an interrogation. They're the kind of thing any good centre should be able to answer easily, and asking them puts you in a much better position to judge whether the fit is right for your family.
If you're already enrolled and have concerns
If screen time has come up as a question after your child has already started, a direct conversation with the centre director is the right first step. Come with specific observations rather than a general concern — what you saw, when, and roughly how long — and ask the director to walk you through their approach. Most will welcome the conversation.
If the answer doesn't sit right, or if what you're observing at pickup doesn't match what you're being told, you're entitled to ask for the centre's written policy. Every centre operating under the NQF should have one.
Find a centre that's the right fit for your family
Screen time is one of those things that only comes up after enrolment for most parents. If you're still comparing centres, it's worth adding it to your tour checklist alongside the questions you're already asking. Care for Kids lets you search, compare, and read reviews from other parents across thousands of services around Australia.
Find a centre that matches what matters to your family at Care for Kids.
