ChildcareScout

Childcare centres in Port Macquarie NSW

ChildcareScout lists 26 ACECQA-approved education and care services in Port Macquarie, NSW. Of these, 26 are centre-based and 0 are family day care. 9 currently hold Exceeding NQS or Excellent overall ratings, and 16 are Meeting NQS; 0 have no published overall rating. The average ChildcareScout Score among scored services is 88. Fees and vacancies are not published by ACECQA, so they appear as Not available. Register data on this page was last imported 26 Aug 2026.

Near meFees & CCSData sources
Services
26
Centre-based
26
Family day care
0
Avg score
88

NQS rating distribution

  • Excellent0
  • Exceeding NQS9
  • Meeting NQS16
  • Working Towards NQS1
  • Significant Improvement Required0
  • Not published0

Port Macquarie vs nearby vs NSW

Compare published NQS shares and average ChildcareScout Score for Port Macquarie, nearby indexed suburbs, and New South Wales.

Exceeding / Excellent %

  • Port Macquarie34.6%
  • Nearby suburbs34.8%
  • NSW18.2%

Meeting NQS %

  • Port Macquarie61.5%
  • Nearby suburbs52.2%
  • NSW69.5%

Avg ChildcareScout Score

Bars zoomed to 84–88 so small gaps are visible

  • Port Macquarie88
  • Nearby suburbs86
  • NSW86

Service counts in each area

  • Port Macquarie26
  • Nearby suburbs23
  • NSW6,138

Shares use published ACECQA overall ratings. Nearby is the average of indexed suburbs closest to this place. Fees and vacancies are not included. Bar lengths use a compressed scale so large state totals don’t hide local counts.

Services in Port Macquarie

Nearby suburbs

Compare suburbs

Postcodes: 2444

Source freshness: 26 Aug 2026

Waitlists guide · Score methodology

Frequently asked questions

How many childcare services are in Port Macquarie NSW?
26 ACECQA-approved services are listed in Port Macquarie, including 26 centre-based. 9 of them hold an Exceeding NQS or Excellent rating. Daily fees are not published in the national registers, so contact each service for current fees.
Which childcare in Port Macquarie has the highest ChildcareScout Score?
Columba Cottage Early Learning Centre (Exceeding NQS) currently ranks first in Port Macquarie on ChildcareScout Score, which weighs NQS quality, information completeness and location. It is a ranking aid, not an ACECQA rating.
How does childcare quality in Port Macquarie compare with NSW?
35% of services in Port Macquarie are Exceeding NQS or Excellent, compared with 18% across NSW and 35% in nearby suburbs.