What does it cost to fit out a childcare Early Learning centre:
Pricing and guidelines last updated for the 2026 financial year
What drives up the cost of fitting out a Childcare Early Learning centre with furniture, furnishings and equipment?
Starting with design and planning, a lack in understanding the Early Years Learning Framework requirements can lead to inefficient resourcing. It’s one of the biggest factors driving up costs when fitting out a Childcare Early Learning centre. Sure, we all understand to obtain licensing from the Department Of Education we must comply with the National Quality Framework, but experience in planning and design along with thoughtful allocation of resources can bring you tens of thousands in savings. It’s a commonly known fact these days that no centre starts with 100% occupancy. No one wants the extra burden of poor cash management the lack of design and planning brings to the cost of completing a project.
What drives down the cost of fitting out a Childcare Early Learning centre with furniture, furnishings and equipment?
An experienced design and planning process that has a sound understanding of the Early Years Learning Framework will start by understanding the fundamental “why” an Early Education provider is undertaking a project. considering the clients aspirations along with the development application (DA) criteria e.g., ages and the number of children per room, the design and planning process can then look at innovative and creative ways of maximising the quantity and type of furniture, furnishings & learning resources to be used. Put it this way, design and planning can create a stunning result and still keep costs down through smarter design which ultimately is a smarter use of cash. The end result; a project that comes in on budget and keeps costs down
Why are some Childcare Early Education Suppliers higher priced?
Ever had quotes from multiple suppliers and puzzled over the pricing variations? It’s easy to think the higher priced proposals are simply not as competitive. Dig a little deeper though and there’s good reasons worth considering. What You’ll find is suppliers who have purposefully built up expertise and provide a far higher level of support and service typically won’t be the lowest priced. Customised design is one such service that creates unique opportunities for you to stand out in a highly competitive market. Another worthy consideration is what happens on delivery day? There are some suppliers that arrive with an unending multitude of flat pack assemblies with masses of waste packaging flowing into landfill. Sometimes higher priced proposals contain far greater long-term savings!
Why are some Childcare Early Education Suppliers lower priced?
We’ve all had that mental check, what is making this offer so much cheaper than other options. It’s a good mental check to have when considering furniture, furnishings and learning resources for a Childcare Early Learning centre. You will find suppliers that just function on buying and selling, position their products and service based on price and when required to maintain market share will readily revert to discounting. This type of supplier typically has very low client support and service offerings which ends up costing the Childcare Early Education providers more at the end of the day.
Where does Grocorp position its pricing?
Grocorp inhouse design and development process creates manufactured product right here in Australia. The Grocorp manufacturing plant controls the entire supply chain, from raw materials through to setting up the furniture in services across Australia. You will note the Grocorp website lists individually priced products for everyday purchase. However, if you’re working on a fit out or refurbishment project, Grocorp has a unique to manufacturing costing process. On a project our pricing is based on the volume of raw materials using a cost per child metric to reach specific budget estimates as follows:
Centre Budgets
| Centre Budget Option Estimates | 60 Place | 90 Place | 120 Places |
|---|---|---|---|
| $500/Child: Guaranteed to pass licensing | $30,000 | $45,000 | $60,000 |
| $800/Child: Guaranteed design & brand enhancement | $48,000 | $72,000 | $96,000 |
| $1000+/Child: Guaranteed Full bespoke unique experience | $60,000 | $90,000 | $120,000 |
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