Big Childcare Pty Ltd

What Big Childcare Pty Ltd does

Big Childcare Pty Ltd is an Australian privately held Out of School Hours Care (OSHC) provider operating 55+ school-based centres across Victoria, New South Wales, and Western Australia. Founded in 2011 by Ted and Sian Hatzakortzian, the company delivers Before School Care, After School Care, Holiday Care, Curriculum Day Care, and a preparatory-year transition program (Prep VIP) directly onsite at partnered primary schools, serving working families with primary school-aged children whose care needs fall outside school hours. The company positions itself as community-oriented, citing 14 years of operating history and a self-reported claim of the lowest staff turnover rate in the Australian OSHC sector.

Operationally, Big Childcare has no proprietary technology platform. It runs on the third-party Xplor ecosystem for parent enrolment, session bookings, immunisation and medical record management, and Child Care Subsidy (CCS) confirmation via MyGov/Centrelink, and uses Debitsuccess for arrears direct-debit invoicing. The company is fully compliant with the National Quality Framework, with 100% of assessed schools achieving Exceeding or Meeting ratings against the seven National Quality Standard areas, and all educators are required to hold Working With Children Checks.

The business model is recurring per-session fees for care delivered to enrolled children, supplemented by ancillary fee streams (late pick-up fees, direct-debit surcharges, credit-card surcharges, and non-refundable holiday-program bookings). Revenue is collected in arrears via direct debit, with the Australian Government's CCS paid directly to Big Childcare on behalf of eligible families, which structurally reduces collection risk on the parent portion. Customer acquisition is driven almost entirely by school partnerships and word of mouth — there is no evidence of paid digital marketing — and the founder-led growth model favours steady, reputation-driven expansion over aggressive scale-up.

Name

Big Childcare Pty Ltd

Legal name

Big Childcare Pty Ltd

Website

https://bigchildcare.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Big Childcare Pty Ltd is an Australian Out of School Hours Care provider operating 55+ school-based centres across Victoria, NSW, and Western Australia, delivering before-school, after-school, holiday, and curriculum-day care to working families with primary school-aged children.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Out of School Hours Care (OSHC) and Child Care Services

NAICS

Child Care Services (62441), Child Care Services (6244)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

School-Age Wraparound Childcare Centers (Holiday/Break Care) (EDACAAAL)

Keywords

• Before school care
• After school care
• Holiday care programs
• Outside school hours care
• School-based childcare

Headquarters

HQ city

St Albans

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Before School Care fees: Fees charged to families for before school care sessions. Families may receive Child Care Subsidy (CCS) from the Australian Government, which is paid directly to Big Childcare, reducing out-of-pocket costs. Invoiced in arrears via direct debit.
2. After School Care fees: Fees charged to families for after school care sessions. Families may receive Child Care Subsidy (CCS) from the Australian Government, which is paid directly to Big Childcare, reducing out-of-pocket costs. Invoiced in arrears via direct debit.
3. Holiday Care fees: Fees charged to families for holiday care sessions, including additional costs for excursions. Families may receive Child Care Subsidy (CCS). Invoiced in arrears via direct debit. Holiday Care booking payments cannot be refunded once booked.
4. Late pick-up fees: Additional fees charged to families who collect children after closing time. Charged at $15 per fifteen minutes or part thereof.
5. Direct debit and payment surcharges: Direct debit surcharge of $1.20 per transaction; dishonour fee of $14.95 per declined transaction; credit card surcharges of 3.07% for Visa/Mastercard and 5.49% for Amex per transaction.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Big Childcare provides Out of School Hours Care (OSHC) services — Before School Care, After School Care, Curriculum Day Care, Holiday Care, and the Prep VIP transition programme — delivered onsite at partnered primary schools across Victoria, New South Wales, and Western Australia. The company enrols primary-school-aged children via the Xplor portal, charges recurring session fees via direct debit, processes the Australian Government's Child Care Subsidy on behalf of families, and runs Holiday Care bookings through a separate dedicated portal (bigholidaycare.com).

Product overview

Big Childcare operates as an Out of School Hours Care (OSHC) provider offering a portfolio of five interconnected child care programs: Before School Care, After School Care, Holiday Care, Prep VIP, and Curriculum Day Care. The core offering centers on before and after school care services operated at partnered schools, with Holiday Care managed through a dedicated booking platform (bigholidaycare.com). All programs follow the 'My Time, Our Place' framework and comply with the National Quality Framework, providing consistent programming across their multi-state footprint in Victoria, New South Wales, and Western Australia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Big Holiday Care: Holiday care program operated by Big Childcare offering excursions and incursions during school holidays, including visits to attractions like Melbourne Star, Adventure Park, and Disney on Ice.

Products and services

• Before School Care Morning OSHC service providing nutritious breakfast before 8am and themed age-appropriate activities, delivered onsite at partnered primary schools for children whose parents work before the school day starts.
• After School Care Afternoon OSHC programme offering afternoon snack, sports, group games, cooking, craft, drama, singing activities, homework assistance, and access to toys and gadgets, operating after school hours onsite at partnered primary schools.
• Holiday Care School holiday care programme featuring Home Base and On Tour events including excursions to venues such as Melbourne Star, Adventure Park, and Disney on Ice, plus in-house activities with AFL stars, cooking, and movie-making. Booked separately via bigholidaycare.com and operated by Big Childcare.
• Prep VIP Transition programme designed to support children in their preparatory year, helping them develop social and emotional capabilities and build lifelong skills before starting primary school.
• Curriculum Day Care Care provided on curriculum/student-free days when schools are closed but parents need to work, complementing the regular before and after school care offerings at partnered schools.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of schools' NQF ratings assessed under Big Childcare achieved Exceeding or Meeting ratings
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Xplor (Enrolment & Booking Platform)coreTechnology or IntegrationBig Childcare uses Xplor's digital platform (login.myxplor.com) as its primary enrolment, booking, and parent communication portal. Families use Xplor to submit enrolment forms, manage bookings, and confirm Child Care Subsidy eligibility with Centrelink.
• Debitsuccess (Direct Debit Payment Processing)coreTechnology or IntegrationBig Childcare uses Debitsuccess for direct debit invoice processing from families' nominated bank accounts. Debitsuccess charges a dishonour fee of $14.95 for declined transactions.
• Australian Government - Child Care Subsidy (CCS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBig Childcare participates in the Australian Government's Child Care Subsidy scheme. Families confirm their CCS percentage through MyGov/Centrelink, and CCS payments are made directly to Big Childcare on behalf of eligible families.
• MyGov / CentrelinkcoreTechnology or IntegrationBig Childcare requires families to confirm their CCS enrolment through their MyGov account (Centrelink section) after their enrolment is processed. Centrelink verifies CCS eligibility and pays subsidies directly to Big Childcare.
• Department of Education (ACECQA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBig Childcare operates under the National Law and National Quality Framework (NQF) regulated by the Department of Education. Their programs comply with ACECQA guidelines and the 'My Time, Our Place' framework for school-aged children.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• TheirCare: National Australian OSHC provider operating Before School, After School, and Holiday Care at partnered primary schools. Closely comparable to Big Childcare in operating model, multi-state footprint, and reliance on the Child Care Subsidy.
• Camp Australia: Australia's largest dedicated OSHC provider, delivering Before School Care, After School Care, and Holiday Care programs onsite at primary schools nationwide. Most directly comparable to Big Childcare in service mix, school-partnership GTM, and CCS-integrated billing.
• Junior Adventures Group (OSHClub): Large national operator of OSHC and vacation care programs (including OSHClub and Helping Hands Network brands) at primary schools across Australia. Directly comparable in target customers, school-partnership GTM, and CCS-integrated billing.
• Extend After School Care: Long-standing Australian OSHC provider offering before, after, and holiday care programs at primary schools. Comparable to Big Childcare in service suite, school-partnership channel, and family subscription revenue model.
• YMCA Australia (OSHC): Operates Out of School Hours Care programs at partnered schools across multiple Australian states under the YMCA banner. Comparable to Big Childcare in OSHC service mix, school-partnership channel, and community-oriented positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Affinity Education: Large Australian early childhood and OSHC provider operating long day care and outside school hours care across many centres. Broader portfolio than Big Childcare but overlapping in OSHC service line and CCS-integrated family billing.
• Busy Bees Australia: Operates a national network of early learning centres, many of which include OSHC programs. Overlaps with Big Childcare in before/after school care services and CCS-integrated family billing, though broader in scope.
• Guardian Childcare & Education: National Australian provider of long day care and OSHC services. Comparable to Big Childcare on OSHC service line and CCS participation, but operates a broader early childhood portfolio rather than an OSHC-only focus.

Others

• Xplor Technologies: Provider of the Xplor enrolment, booking, and CCS management platform that Big Childcare uses for parent onboarding and billing. Not a direct OSHC operator, but a core technology enabler whose roadmap and pricing directly affect Big Childcare's operating economics.
• ACECQA: National regulatory body that administers the National Quality Framework and publishes the Exceeding/Meeting ratings Big Childcare relies on as a competitive signal. Functions as the regulator shaping the OSHC industry's compliance and quality bar.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/big-childcare

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Big Childcare Pty Ltd