West Mackay contains 4 Long Day Care centres (302 places), 2 preschool/kindergarten facilities (69 places) and 3 OSHC facilities (199 places), with overall provision relative to the local child population appearing favorable compared to national benchmarks, and above the Regional Qld average. Combined service provision across long day care and preschool/kindergarten services, and the approximate 377 children in the cohort, sees a ratio of children per place of 1.0 - 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 1.3 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 302 places across 4 facilities serving 227 children while preschool supply is similarly strong with 2 facilities providing 69 places (2.2 children aged 3-4 per place compared to the Regional Qld average of 8.0). With projected population growth of 6.8% between now and 2041, and 13.0% in the under 5 age group in particular, 46 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.
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 25.8 per 100 residents with 1,706 enrolments across primary and secondary institutions. This notably elevated rate of school supply suggests many students travel to the area from beyond the immediate surrounds, typically amplifying local childcare demand given school-run proximity. 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 199 places serving the 5-12 cohort. Fee analysis shows fees are notably lower than national averages.
3 school catchments intersect West Mackay (note; school catchment data provided for public schools only), in which a combined 2,340 children aged under 5 reside, served by 2,082 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.