Sessional preschool in a hired community hall

Parents, often with help from the Child Care Subsidy or state kindergarten funding, depending on your state and how your service is approved.

Session or term fees per child. Hiring a venue by the session keeps fixed costs lower than a full lease, but you can only run as many sessions as the venue allows.

• Early childhood teaching
• Planning and setting up programs
• Working with parents and committees
• Basic bookkeeping

• Service approval under the National Quality Framework, which still applies to many sessional programs
• Educator qualifications and ratios required by your state
• Working with Children Checks for everyone who works with the children
• Venue safety, fencing, toilets and hire agreements, including whether your use is allowed
• Public liability insurance and any cover the venue requires
• Pack-down time each session, which adds to your working hours

Estimated startup costs are typically around $15,000 to $60,000, depending on the hall, your equipment and how many sessions you run. Estimated monthly revenue is around $6,000 to $30,000. Hiring a hall keeps fit-out and lease costs lower.

Things to check include service approval under the National Quality Framework, which still applies to many sessional programs, educator qualifications and ratios in your state, Working with Children Checks, and venue safety, fencing, toilets and hire agreements.

Estimates suggest at least around 20 hours a week. Pack-down time each session adds to your working hours, as you set up and pack away each time, so plan for that when working out your week.