Ascot contains 1 Long Day Care centre (147 places) and 1 preschool/kindergarten facility (30 places), with overall provision relative to the local child population appearing favorable compared to national benchmarks, and above the Regional Vic. average. Combined service provision across long day care and preschool/kindergarten services, and the approximate 217 children in the cohort, sees a ratio of children per place of 1.2 - placing the area among the top 30% nationally for supply per child. Looking at long day care specifically against the under-5 population, the ratio is 1.4 children per place (upper quintile supply). Further breakdowns by age, to help in identifying the most in-need services, show strong LDC provision for the infant and toddler cohort (<3yo) with 147 places across 1 facility serving 125 children while preschool supply is constrained with 1 facility providing 30 places (2.8 children aged 3-4 per place compared to the Regional Vic. average of 2.0). With projected population growth of 46.0% between now and 2041, and 53.0% in the under 5 age group in particular, 104 new places will be needed to maintain today's ratios. Socioeconomic performance in the area in the way of income and employment figures, including female workforce participation, are broadly in line with national averages.
Proximity analysis saw distances of local residents to their nearest child care centre being relatively in line with national benchmarks while fees are notably lower than national averages. Another finding worth noting is the low level of commercial activity in the area and assessment of local working populations which suggest many of the local population commute elsewhere for work with nearby services potentially taking some pressure off local child care centres.
5 school catchments intersect Ascot (note; school catchment data provided for public schools only), in which a combined 7,827 children aged under 5 reside, served by 6,851 LDC and preschool places. The overall demand-to-supply ratio across these catchments is 1.1 children per place, with limited variance in this ratio.