Childcare
Defence childcare centres
Children of mobile Defence families can receive priority of access to Defence child care centres around Australia. Defence Community Organisation (DCO) also provides individual case management to help parents with child care placement. For more information click here.
More childcare resources
There are a number of childcare facilities in Canberra. The resources below may help you locate the right childcare service for your family.
Defence Playgroups
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Gungahlin Defence Families Playgroup: The Playgroup has a different craft activity for the kids every week, lots of indoor and outdoor toys, a cubby house, a video, DVD and book library to borrow from, and a delicious morning tea for the mums and dads. For more information call the President/Coordinator on 0484 936 185, or send an gungahlindfp [at] gmail.com (email).
Schools
DCO provides a range of services and resources for Defence children to assist with the transition between schools and education systems when families move, and to provide support for the unique needs of Defence students. You can find information on schooling, including aides and mentors on the DCO website on Education or Your Community pages.
Children must be four years of age on or before 30 April of the year of commencement in a preschool program. High school education is available in both Years 7-10 and Preschool to Year 10 schools across the ACT.
- The ACT Government Education and Training website has a list of public and private schools in Canberra
- The NSW Public Schools Directory lists public schools located outside ACT borders.
- The ACT’s senior secondary colleges cater for students in Years 11 and 12. The college system sets a national standard in senior secondary education and includes tertiary pre-entry curriculum at the Australian National University (ANU), Australian Catholic University (ACU) and the University of Canberra.
School Terms
- Click here to see the school terms observed in the ACT from 2017-2020.
- Click here to see the school terms observed in NSW during 2018.
Enrolment Information
Schools with Defence Aides and Mentors
The Defence School Transition Program provides support to children of ADF families, particularly during their transition into and out of a school on posting or during parental absences due to deployment, exercises or courses.
The in-school aides (for primary schools) and mentors (for high schools) are funded by the Department of Defence through DCO (Defence Community Organisation). They are employed as a member of the school staff by respective schools or education systems within each State or Territory.
Primary schools with Defence School Transition Aides (DSTAs)
- Amaroo School, Amaroo
- Brindabella Christian College, Lyneham
- Bungendore Public School, Bungendore
- Burgmann Anglican School, Gungahlin
- Campbell Primary School, Campbell
- Canberra Girls Grammar School, Deakin
- Canberra Grammar School, Red Hill
- Gold Creek School, Nicholls
- Good Shepard Primary School, Amaroo
- Harrison School, Harrison
- Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School, Nicholls
- Jerrabomberra Public School, Jerrabomberra
- Maribyrnong Primary School, Kaleen
- Mother Teresa School, Harrison
- Palmerston District Primary School, Palmerston
- Red Hill School, Red Hill
- St Thomas More’s Primary School, Campbell
High schools with Defence Transition Mentors (DTMs)
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Amaroo School, Amaroo
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Brindabella Christian College, Lyneham
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Campbell High School, Campbell
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Canberra Girls Grammar School, Deakin
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Canberra Grammar School, Red Hill
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Gold Creek School, Nicholls
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Gungahlin College, Gungahlin
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Harrison School, Harrison
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Marist College Canberra, Pearce
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Merici College, Braddon
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St Clare’s College, Griffith
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St Edmund’s College, Griffith
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St Francis Xavier College, Florey
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St John Paul II College, Nicholls
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St Mary MacKillop College, Wanniassa
