Elermore Vale contains 4 Long Day Care centres (363 places), 1 preschool/kindergarten facility (20 places) and 2 OSHC facilities (158 places), with overall provision relative to the local child population appearing favorable compared to national benchmarks, and above the Regional NSW average. Combined service provision across long day care and preschool/kindergarten services, and the approximate 357 children in the cohort, sees a ratio of children per place of 0.9 - placing the area among the top 20% nationally for supply per child. Looking at long day care specifically against the under-5 population, the ratio is 1.0 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 363 places across 4 facilities serving 217 children while preschool supply is constrained with 1 facility providing 20 places (7.2 children aged 3-4 per place compared to the Regional NSW average of 4.4). With projected population growth of 12.1% between now and 2041, and 20.7% in the under 5 age group in particular, 75 new places will be needed to maintain today's ratios. As well as this projected growth, other factors worth noting are lower than average employment performance.
In assessing child care markets local school supply is a particularly important factor, given school-run convenience, and enrolment vs child care place analysis can provide useful insight into capacity both for parents seeking child care options and child care operators assessing opportunities in an area. The catchment sees a level of school enrolment relative to population of 13.7 per 100 residents with 859 enrolments across primary and secondary institutions. This middle-of-the-road rate of school supply suggests most local students are residents within the immediate area. Additionally, the level of school places per child care place (LDC+PSK) is moderate. Out of school hours child care provision is similarly strong, with 158 places serving the 5-12 cohort. Fee analysis shows high fees are observed despite adequate supply suggesting premium positioning or quality differentiation. 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.
12 school catchments intersect Elermore Vale (note; school catchment data provided for public schools only), in which a combined 9,962 children aged under 5 reside, served by 7,783 LDC and preschool places. The overall demand-to-supply ratio across these catchments is 1.3 children per place, with moderate variance in this ratio.