New South Wales Consolidated Regulations

CHILDREN'S SERVICES REGULATION 2004 - REG 53

53 Staff to child ratios

(1) The licensee of a centre based or mobile children’s service must ensure that the ratio of primary contact staff to children being provided with the service is:

(a) 1:5 in respect of all children who are under the age of 2 years, and,

(b) 1:8 in respect of all children who are 2 or more years of age but under 3 years of age, and

(c) 1:10 in respect of all children who are 3 or more years of age but under 6 years of age.

(2) The licensee of a centre based or mobile children’s service must ensure that at least 2 members of the primary contact staff are present on the premises of the service whenever children are being provided with the service at the premises.

(3) If a centre based or mobile children’s service is being provided to a group of children who are not all in the same age bracket, the licensee of the service must ensure that the ratio of primary contact staff to children in the group is the ratio specified in subclause (1) for the age bracket in which the youngest child in the group belongs.

(4) In counting the number of primary contact staff for the purposes of this clause, a trainee referred to in paragraph (c) of the definition of "primary contact staff" in the dictionary to this Regulation is not to be included unless a majority of the staff counted (and at least 2) are primary contact staff who are not trainees.

(5) In this clause, "age bracket" means a range of ages specified in subclause (1) (a), (b) or (c).