Moolap contains 1 Long Day Care centre (144 places) and 1 OSHC facility (24 places), with overall provision relative to the local child population appearing favorable compared to national benchmarks, and above the Regional Vic. average on a resident basis — though likely far tighter supply once significant daily workforce inflows to the area are considered. With no preschool/kindergarten services observed in the area, only long day care, the ratio of children per place for the under 5 age group is 0.7 - placing the area among the top 20% nationally for supply per child on a resident basis, though closer to ~1.0 once estimated daytime workforce inflow is factored in. With projected population growth of 16.1% between now and 2041, and 22.5% in the under 5 age group in particular. As well as this projected growth, other factors worth noting are lower female labour force participation of 37.4%, as well as lower quartile employment and income 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 9.8 per 100 residents with 200 enrolments across primary and secondary institutions. A lower-than-typical rate which suggests pressure might be taken off local services somewhat by school hubs in nearby areas. Additionally, the level of school places per child care place (LDC+PSK) is moderate.
8 school catchments intersect Moolap (note; school catchment data provided for public schools only), in which a combined 15,355 children aged under 5 reside, served by 12,321 LDC and preschool places. The overall demand-to-supply ratio across these catchments is 1.2 children per place, with limited variance in this ratio.