What Extend After School Care does

Extend After School Care, legally Extend (Australia) Pty Ltd, is an Australian outside school hours care (OSHC) provider founded in 2004 by former head of school Darren Stevenson and headquartered in Melbourne. The company delivers Before School Care, After School Care, Pupil Free Day Care and Vacation Care programs through partnerships with more than 70 primary and secondary schools across Victoria, New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia. Services are operated on school premises by Extend's own recruited and trained educators, with staff allocated at a 1:10 ratio and programs tailored to each school's ethos, including a deliberate device-free environment.

The company's operational backbone is the LookedAfter online booking platform, through which families self-serve enrolments, session bookings and fortnightly-in-arrears invoicing. Revenue is session-based, tiered by booking lead time (Early Bird, Essential, Last-minute and Emergency rates), and supplemented by administration of the Australian Government's Child Care Subsidy (CCS) on behalf of families. The complementary Extend Squad sub-brand operates the school holiday program offering excursions, incursions and structured activities, and the company has added value-added partnerships such as an exclusive tie-up with The Reading Switch reading program.

Extend's go-to-market is hybrid: an enterprise field sales motion that approaches schools directly to take over full OSHC management (compliance, administration, staffing, parent liaison and programming), combined with a direct-to-consumer motion targeting working parents through the website, LookedAfter booking system, Extend Academy content, the quarterly Exchange e-magazine and community initiatives such as the Kids Club Art Competition and Extend-a-Hand social justice campaigns. The company is 100% Australian owned, reports an A+ safety rating with no breaches or fines over 20 years, and states that 84% of its services meet or exceed national compliance benchmarks versus a 73% industry average.

Name

Extend After School Care

Legal name

Extend (Australia) Pty Ltd

Website

https://extend.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Extend After School Care is a 100% Australian-owned provider of outside school hours care, delivering Before, After and Holiday programs across 70+ partner schools in six states via the LookedAfter booking platform for working families and school contracts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Outside School Hours Care

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Extended Day Programs at Preschools & Childcare Centers (EDACAHAB), School-Age Wraparound Care (Ages 3–5) (EDACAHAA)

Keywords

• Outside school hours care
• Before after school care
• School holiday programs
• OSHC services
• Vacation care programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne, VIC

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Session-based Child Care Fees: Families pay session fees for Before School Care, After School Care, Pupil Free Day Care, and Vacation Care programs. Fees are determined by booking timing (Early Bird, Essential, Last-minute tiers) and are invoiced fortnightly in arrears. The company also receives Child Care Subsidy payments from the government on behalf of families.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Extend After School Care operates 70+ Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) services on the premises of partner schools across Australia, providing Before School Care, After School Care, Pupil Free Day Care, and Vacation Care programs staffed by internally recruited educators at a 1:10 ratio. The company delivers fully managed OSHC solutions covering compliance, staffing, parent liaison, programming, and bookings through its proprietary LookedAfter online platform, supporting families with session-based care integrated with the Australian Government Child Care Subsidy.

Product overview

Extend After School Care operates as a provider of outside school hours care services across Australia, offering a unified service portfolio centered on Before and After School Care as the core product. The offering includes Extend Squad Holiday Programs for school vacation periods, with all bookings and enrollments managed through the LookedAfter online platform. Supplementary offerings include The Reading Switch partnership for reading support and the Extend-a-Hand community initiative program. Services are integrated with Australian government Child Care Subsidy (CCS) administration through Centrelink/MyGov. The company operates across 70+ services nationwide in partnership with schools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Extend Squad: Holiday program brand offering excursions, incursions and activities for children during school holidays.

Products and services

• Before and After School Care Fully managed Before School Care and After School Care service for school-age children delivered on the premises of partner primary and secondary schools, including supervised educational, recreational, sporting and imaginative play activities, nutritional food provisions and a device-free environment, staffed by internally recruited educators at a 1:10 ratio.
• Extend Squad Holiday Program School holiday program operating during school vacation periods, featuring excursions, incursions, and innovative play activities for children, typically available from 7:00am to 6:00pm depending on location.
• LookedAfter Online Booking Platform Secure online booking and enrolment platform that allows families to enrol children, book Before, After and Holiday Care sessions, view statements, manage session fees and times, and make payments, with fortnightly invoicing.

Quantifiable outcome

• 84% of services exceeding or meeting national compliance benchmarks (industry average 73%)
• +2 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

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• The Reading SwitchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerExclusive partnership offering families free 30-day trial and 10% discount on The Reading Switch online reading program. The program supports and enhances reading abilities in primary school-age children, beneficial for those with and without diagnosed reading difficulties.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Junior Adventures Group: Large multi-brand Australian OSHC and children's services group (including OSHClub / Helping Hands heritage brands). A broader incumbent operating in the same OSHC category as Extend, with comparable school-based delivery but a wider portfolio of services.
• YMCA Australia (OSHC programs): Major Australian community-services operator running OSHC, vacation care and youth programs through school and community venues. Comparable on OSHC delivery and government-subsidy exposure, but as part of a much broader mission-driven portfolio rather than a focused OSHC specialist.

Direct peers

• Camp Australia: Australia's largest OSHC (Outside School Hours Care) provider, delivering before, after and holiday programs through school partnerships nationally. Most direct competitor to Extend given identical school-based delivery model, B2B/B2C hybrid go-to-market, and similar CCS-integrated pricing.
• Big Childcare: Australian OSHC and vacation care operator running before/after school programs on school premises. Closely matches Extend's core offering, school-partnership distribution model, and family-direct booking flow.
• TheirCare: Australian OSHC provider operating Before School, After School and Holiday Programs through partner schools across multiple states. Directly comparable to Extend on service mix, school-partnership GTM, and per-session fee structure with CCS integration.

Others

• Only About Children: Australian integrated early learning and school-age care operator with campus-based services. Overlaps with Extend on school-age wraparound care but focuses on vertically integrated early-learning campuses rather than partnering on existing school sites.
• Affinity Education Group: Australian early childhood education provider (long day care, preschool, OSHC at some centres). Adjacent rather than direct competitor — overlaps on school-age wraparound care but anchored on centre-based early learning rather than school partnerships.
• Goodstart Early Learning: Australia's largest not-for-profit early childhood and OSHC provider with centre-based delivery. Comparable on regulated child-care services and CCS integration, but predominantly centre-based rather than the school-partnership OSHC model Extend operates.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/extend-after-school-care

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Extend After School Care