Childcare marketing in regional Western Australia: the complete 2026 guide

Marketing a childcare centre in regional Western Australia is a different job from marketing one in Perth. Your catchment might be a single town of 5,000 people or a radius of 200 kilometres. Your families might be on a 7-on/7-off FIFO roster, working a grain harvest, crewing a tour boat or newly arrived from Perth on a sea-change. Competition for search and social attention is lighter than in the city, but every family you lose to a poor first impression is a bigger share of a smaller market, and everyone in town hears about it.

This guide brings together everything ChildCare Marketing has published on regional WA. It covers the market and its family segments, what differs between the Pilbara, Kimberley, Goldfields, Mid West, South West and Great Southern, and the channels that fill places outside the metro area: Google Business Profile and local SEO, Google Ads, Facebook community groups, your website, email and SMS, open days, waitlists, vacancy filling and word of mouth. It finishes with a twelve-month local area marketing playbook and answers to the questions regional centre owners ask us most.

Contents

1. The regional WA childcare market in 2026
2. Sub-region by sub-region
3. Marketing to FIFO and mining families
4. Aboriginal communities, multicultural families and cultural safety
5. How regional WA parents choose a centre
6. Google Business Profile and local SEO
7. Google Ads on a regional budget
8. Facebook, Instagram and community groups
9. Your website and online enquiries
10. Email, SMS and nurture sequences
11. Waitlists and open days
12. Filling vacancies quickly
13. Word of mouth, referrals and local partnerships
14. A twelve-month local area marketing playbook
15. Frequently asked questions

The regional WA childcare market in 2026

Western Australia’s regions cover around 2.5 million square kilometres. The main regional centres (Bunbury, Geraldton, Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Karratha, Port Hedland, Broome and Albany) each sit on a different economic base, and that base shapes family income, work patterns and the kind of care families need. Before you write an ad, know which of these segments make up your catchment.

Mining and resources families

The Pilbara and Goldfields are the highest-income regional markets in Australia. Mining workers and supervisors frequently earn $120,000 to $200,000 or more. Many arrive on short-notice transfers, value reliability and quality over price, and care intensely about safety records, staff qualifications and professional facilities.

Agricultural families

The South West, Great Southern, Mid West and Wheatbelt retain large farming populations, from grain, sheep and dairy producers to horticulturalists. Their care needs rise in spring and early summer with seeding, harvest and shearing, and ease in winter. Margins are tighter than in mining, so affordability, clear subsidy information and educators who understand rural life matter more.

Tourism, hospitality and fishing families

Busselton, Dunsborough, Margaret River, Albany, Esperance and Broome all have large tourism workforces working weekends, split shifts and seasonal peaks. Fishing and pearling families in Geraldton, Esperance and Broome have similar non-standard hours and, for fishing, seasonal income. Position your centre as understanding this work life, not judging it.

Sea-change and tree-change families

Since COVID, more Perth families have moved to Bunbury, Busselton, Margaret River, Albany, Mount Barker, Denmark and Geraldton for lifestyle and affordability. They chose to move, research heavily online before arriving, and value child development, outdoor learning and community over the lowest fee. Serve them well and they become your best ambassadors.

Government and institutional employees

WA Country Health Service, the Department of Education and local governments employ large regional workforces, from Albany’s health services to Katanning’s agricultural extension staff and Goldfields government offices. These families have stable incomes, use care consistently and are reached efficiently through employer HR and staff benefit communications.

Supply gaps and the job of educating families

Supply is uneven. Bunbury and Margaret River have growing populations but limited new childcare infrastructure, Albany and Esperance face capacity pressure in peak periods, and parts of the Kimberley and remote Pilbara have little formal childcare at all. Many regional families are unaware of what is available or how the Child Care Subsidy (CCS) works, so your marketing must educate as well as promote: explain CCS, age groups, your National Quality Standard rating and how your centre fits their circumstances. For the national context, see our analysis of the five structural drivers behind Australia’s childcare occupancy decline.

Sub-region by sub-region

Sub-region	Main towns	Economic base	Marketing emphasis
Pilbara	Karratha, Port Hedland, Newman	LNG and gas, iron ore	Roster flexibility, fast enrolment, FIFO family groups, Google Ads
Kimberley	Broome, Kununurra, Derby	Tourism, pearling, Ord Valley agriculture, government services	Seasonality, cultural safety, Facebook and offline channels
Goldfields	Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Coolgardie, Kambalda, Norseman	Gold, nickel and copper mining	Same-week enrolment, employer partnerships, community groups
Mid West and Gascoyne	Geraldton, Carnarvon, Meekatharra, Mount Magnet	Fishing, mining services, horticulture	Sea-change migrants, flexible payments, GBP and Google Ads
South West	Bunbury, Busselton, Dunsborough, Margaret River, Harvey, Collie, Donnybrook	Services, tourism, wine, agriculture	Postcode-level Facebook ads, outdoor learning, value positioning
Great Southern and Esperance	Albany, Katanning, Mount Barker, Denmark, Esperance	Agriculture, fishing, tourism, health and government	Community embedding, multicultural outreach, employer networks

Pilbara: Karratha, Port Hedland and Newman

Karratha (around 25,000 people), Port Hedland (around 15,000) and Newman form the wealthiest childcare market in the country. Karratha anchors the LNG and gas industry, Port Hedland is Australia’s largest iron ore export port and Newman serves BHP’s iron ore mines. Household incomes of $150,000 to $350,000 are common, and families often move on within 18 to 36 months, so trust has to be built quickly and continually.

• Lead with flexibility: rostered drop-off and pick-up, care that adjusts when rosters change, and the same educator throughout a parent’s absence, backed by daily photos and updates.
• Time campaigns to hiring. Parents check availability two to four weeks before starting a new role, and project hiring often peaks around March to April and August to September. Lift activity four to eight weeks ahead of expected hiring waves.
• Offer a quick-enrolment pathway, information packs for employers’ relocation teams, monthly open days and transparent fees with subsidy estimates.
• Several operators compete for families here, so differentiate on quality, educator expertise, FIFO-specific services and testimonials rather than price.

Kimberley: Broome, Kununurra and Derby

The Kimberley spans around 423,000 square kilometres. Broome (around 16,000 people plus visitors) blends pearling, tourism, Aboriginal culture and government services; Kununurra serves the Ord Valley irrigation scheme and tourism; Derby is a predominantly Aboriginal town with significant government and health employment. Aboriginal people make up roughly 30 to 40 per cent of the population.

From November to April the wet season closes roads, tourism drops and the population shrinks, so demand can move by 30 to 50 per cent across the year. Offer short-term or seasonal enrolments (three to six months without penalties), welcome families who leave in the wet and return later, flex staffing with volume, and market to hotels, resorts and tour operators ahead of the dry season. Connectivity is patchier than in the south, so keep a strong offline presence: brochures for real estate agents, tourism offices and employers, community newsletters, local radio and monthly drop-in open days.

Goldfields: Kalgoorlie-Boulder and beyond

Kalgoorlie-Boulder (around 33,000 people) sits beside the Super Pit, while Coolgardie, Kambalda and Norseman produce nickel, copper and gold. Mining families commonly earn $130,000 to $250,000, many on FIFO or rotating rosters. Families here typically stay three to five years rather than 18 to 36 months, buy homes and build community ties, so balance fast reassurance for newcomers with continuity for long-term residents.

• A worker can accept an offer on Monday and relocate by Friday. Advertise same-week enrolment, same-day or next-morning tours and flexible start dates, and prepare a new-resident pack covering schools and local services.
• Work with mining HR teams so your information is available at recruitment events, and consider an employer discount for staff of major local employers.
• Watch gold prices and mine expansion news; demand rises and falls with the mining cycle. Keep a list of families willing to add days during busy periods.

Geraldton, the Mid West and Gascoyne

Geraldton (around 40,000 people) is one of WA’s largest regional cities, combining the rock lobster fishery with mining services. It is attracting Perth professionals, young families drawn by affordability and coastal living, and retirees bringing grandchildren. Carnarvon (around 6,000) is a horticulture and banana-growing town with significant FIFO employment; Meekatharra and Mount Magnet are small mining communities.

• Fishing families face seasonal, feast-and-famine income: offer flexible payment arrangements and clear CCS information, and build relationships with boat operators and industry associations.
• Sea-change families research from Perth: publish detailed centre information, offer virtual tours or video calls, and create content for people searching “moving to Geraldton”.
• In Carnarvon, emphasise flexibility around planting and harvest and partner with major farms for referrals.

Bunbury and the South West

Greater Bunbury (around 80,000 people) anchors one of the fastest-growing childcare markets outside Perth, with Harvey, Collie and Donnybrook in the agricultural belt, Busselton and Dunsborough on the coast, and Margaret River’s wine and lifestyle economy to the south. Retirees moving south free up family housing, Perth families priced out of the city move for lifestyle, and Busselton and Dunsborough hospitality workers need care around split shifts and tourist seasons.

• Segment Facebook ads by postcode: Bunbury 6230, Busselton 6280, Dunsborough 6284, Margaret River 6285 and the surrounding farming postcodes.
• Match the message to the segment: reliability and work-life balance in Bunbury, outdoor learning and community in Margaret River, flexible bookings in Busselton, dependable backup care in Harvey and Collie.
• Publish fees and explain your value. South West families want excellent care without metropolitan pricing, but accept a modest premium for genuine flexibility, language programs or nature-based learning.

Albany, the Great Southern and Esperance

Albany (around 35,000 people) is the region’s largest market and a growing tourism and sea-change hub. Katanning has significant multicultural communities, Mount Barker and Denmark attract tree-changers, and Esperance (around 14,000) combines farming, fishing, tourism and export logistics. In towns this size, one great family experience generates referrals and one poor one travels fast.

• Build town pages on your website targeting searches such as “childcare Albany WA”, “long day care Katanning” and “preschool Esperance”, plus a page for tourism and hospitality families covering shift flexibility and holiday programs.
• Approach health, agriculture and local government employers to appear in staff benefit guides.
• Join Rotary, Lions or business groups, sponsor shows and school events, and post monthly GBP updates about your community involvement.

Marketing to FIFO and mining families

WA has the highest concentration of fly-in fly-out workers in Australia, across mining, oil and gas, construction and resources. FIFO households are a high-income segment that many centres underserve, because their care needs follow roster cycles rather than a nine-to-five week.

On a 7-on/7-off, 8-on/6-off, 14-on/7-off or irregular project roster, the parent at home goes through intensive solo-parenting stretches followed by concentrated family time. Care during work weeks is about the child’s social development, the home parent’s respite and their part in community life, not just working hours. Some mining families live in town permanently and travel only during project phases; acknowledge both patterns.

• Flexibility: rostered bookings, care that adjusts when rosters change and hours aligned to common rosters. If you offer extended, weekend or emergency care, say so prominently.
• Stability: consistent key educators and minimal transitions while a parent is away.
• Connection: daily photos and updates for the parent on site.
• Convenience: proximity to airports, accommodation and work sites, and a fast enrolment process.

Plain labels work well: “Roster-responsive childcare” or “Flexible hours for shift workers”. Consider roster-aligned bookings or block-booking discounts. FIFO households usually receive less CCS but will pay for convenience and quality. FIFO family Facebook groups in Karratha and Port Hedland have more than 5,000 members, and incoming workers often join weeks before they arrive; WhatsApp is also widely used in mining circles for direct parent communication.

Aboriginal communities, multicultural families and cultural safety

Marketing to Aboriginal families is not a campaign; it is a relationship that must exist before any promotion. Remote communities often have younger age profiles and lower incomes, demand may be underserved by private providers, and families can face real barriers to formal childcare, including cultural safety concerns, cost and understandable distrust of mainstream institutions.

• Consult first. Attend community meetings, speak with Elders and leaders, and ask how your centre can best serve the community. Trust and permission come before marketing.
• Partner with Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) and local Aboriginal services, and follow the cultural safety guidance of SNAICC (the Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care).
• Employ Aboriginal educators and cultural advisors, include Aboriginal staff in leadership, and make room for families in centre governance.
• Embed language, story and connection to Country in the program rather than adding them on. In the Kimberley, materials in Kriol or local languages may be appropriate where the community supports it.
• Avoid stereotyped imagery and tokenism, and respect that some families prefer Aboriginal-led services rather than treating that as competition.
• Help families understand their CCS entitlements and out-of-pocket costs, working with health and community services.

Multicultural and language accessibility

For Katanning’s Middle Eastern communities and growing non-English-speaking populations in Esperance and Pilbara towns, partner with settlement services, multicultural organisations and religious institutions; translate key enrolment documents; use parent apps with translation features or interpreters; explain how your food policies respect cultural and religious requirements; and show diverse families in your imagery.

How regional WA parents choose a centre

Regional parents typically find childcare through four overlapping channels: word of mouth, Google search, Facebook community groups and driving past. In towns under about 5,000 people, word of mouth usually comes first; in growing hubs such as Busselton or Port Hedland, Google sits close behind. Relocating families start researching four to six weeks before they arrive, so keep your profile and website current with enrolment status, fees and recent photos.

Reliability ranks highest, especially for FIFO families, followed by trust in individual educators, flexibility for shift, seasonal and roster work, and a sense that you understand their lifestyle. Price matters, but reliability and fit usually beat the lowest fee. Answer the common objections before parents ask: “Will you accommodate my variable hours?”, “Are your educators experienced?”, “Can we manage fees on an irregular income?” and “Are you closed when my partner is home on leave?”

The journey is compressed. With fewer options, regional parents can go from awareness to enrolment in days, and many never visit a competitor, so your first contact is often decisive. Return a 3 pm call the same afternoon, follow up online enquiries by phone within two hours where you can, and run tours as relaxed conversations about the family’s routine rather than presentations. Keep enrolment simple, with online forms and a typical two-to-four-week timeline.

Google Business Profile and local SEO

Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is the most important digital asset a regional centre owns. When a parent in Bunbury or Esperance searches “childcare near me” or “long day care [town]”, your profile decides who gets the first call. In smaller towns it is often the main touchpoint, and because competition is far lighter than in Perth, ranking first for your town is achievable with consistent effort. Our guide to why your childcare centre needs a Google Business Profile in 2026 covers the fundamentals.

• Claim, verify and complete every field: address, a phone number that is answered, hours, website, service areas and a description covering curriculum, credentials, FIFO flexibility and subsidy support.
• Upload 20 to 40 genuine photos of rooms, outdoor areas, educators and children learning (with consent). Authentic photos beat stock imagery in small communities.
• Post weekly, such as a Monday learning highlight, staff spotlight or seasonal tip, and use posts for vacancies, open days and community involvement.
• Use messaging, ask families for reviews after enrolment and respond to every review within 24 to 48 hours.

Local keywords, town pages and technical basics

Build a list of ten to fifteen phrases such as “[town] childcare”, “[town] long day care”, “[town] OSHC” and “childcare near [town]”; Google Keyword Planner can show volumes. If you draw from several towns, create a short page for each; a Karratha centre might have pages for Karratha, Roebourne and Dampier. Add a monthly blog post on regional topics such as heat safety, the wet season in northern WA or supporting FIFO families. Keep your name, address and phone number identical across your website, GBP, Facebook and directories such as Yellow Pages, True Local and Word of Mouth Online; add LocalBusiness schema; include a conversational FAQ (“Do you offer flexible hours for FIFO families?”); and use Google Search Console to aim for the top three results for “[town] childcare”.

Google Ads on a regional budget

Google Ads is the most underused channel in regional WA. Most operators focus on Facebook, so terms such as “childcare Karratha”, “daycare Port Hedland” or “Geraldton daycare” often have little or no competition. Volume is low but intent is high: a parent searching for childcare in their town needs a solution now. For a full walkthrough, see how to use Google Ads for childcare enrolment.

Costs and budgets

Regional childcare clicks typically cost around $1 to $3, compared with $5 or more in Perth. A daily budget of $10 to $15 (roughly $200 to $400 a month) suits most single-town centres and typically buys four to six clicks a day. Increase to $20 to $25 a day when you have significant vacancies or a new service, and pause when you are full. Regional newspaper or radio campaigns can cost a few hundred dollars a week and are much harder to measure.

Set-up and ad copy

• Start with one search campaign on your town or postcodes, with separate ad groups for long day care, after school care and vacancy searches.
• Use phrase match for core terms and exact match for your centre name. Avoid broad match, which wastes regional budgets on irrelevant searches.
• Set the radius to how far families really travel: 20 to 30 kilometres for towns of 5,000 to 20,000, and 50 kilometres or more in remote areas where the nearest alternative may be 100 kilometres away.
• Use call ads or call extensions; many mining and farming families prefer to ring.
• Lead with reliability, safety and local knowledge: “Trusted Childcare in [Town] Since [Year]”, “Flexible Hours for Mining and Farming Families”, “Call Today for Availability”.
• Track calls and form submissions as conversions, link to Google Analytics, review by postcode monthly and shift budget to what produces enrolments.

Facebook, Instagram and community groups

Facebook dominates regional WA. In towns of 3,000 to 20,000 people, community groups commonly have 2,000 to 8,000 members and act as the town’s noticeboard. A Geraldton parent asks the community group for recommendations; a Carnarvon family posts in the locals group before searching Google. For broader channel advice, see our guide to social media marketing for childcare centres.

Contribute before you promote

Search for your town name with community, mums, parents, families, new residents, buy swap sell and events; a town of 5,000 might have four to six groups. Watch each for a couple of weeks to learn its rules and tone, and join as your centre’s page where allowed. Centres whose first post is “We have a vacancy!” get backlash and sometimes removal. Spend your first month answering questions and sharing practical tips on settling in or separation anxiety. When you later share a place, frame it as a community update: “We currently have spaces for three-year-olds starting in April. If anyone’s looking, we’d love to chat about your family’s needs.” One link, no hard sell.

Events and paid ads

• Create a Facebook Event for every open day at least two to three weeks ahead, with parking, activities and refreshments. The RSVP list becomes a prospect list.
• Run paid ads to a 20 to 50 kilometre radius (around 30 kilometres suits most towns), starting at $5 to $15 a day; regional clicks often cost $0.50 to $2.
• Target parents aged roughly 25 to 45 (broader where grandparents play a big role, as in Geraldton) and use carousel or video ads with real rooms, outdoor spaces and local parent testimonials.

Your page and Instagram

Post on your Facebook page two to three times a week: a learning highlight, a parenting or seasonal safety tip and community news. In lifestyle areas such as Margaret River and Broome, Instagram is growing, and three to four posts or reels a week of outdoor learning work well. Regional content ideas include nature play with local birds and wildflowers, coastal play, outback experiences and connection to Aboriginal culture and Country.

Your website and online enquiries

Some families live two or three hours from your centre and will look you up before making that drive. Many in the Pilbara, Goldfields and Kimberley rely on mobile data or satellite internet, although NBN and Starlink are steadily improving access. Design for phones first, compress images, avoid autoplay video, sliders and pop-ups, and test with Google PageSpeed Insights. A parent should find your location, phone number, age groups, hours, fees and quality rating within seconds.

• A prominent click-to-call number and office hours; calls matter more regionally than elaborate booking forms.
• Your address with an embedded map for newcomers.
• Clear fees (or “enquire for current fees”) and CCS information.
• Educator bios with real photos, room and outdoor photos, and your NQS rating.
• Testimonials from local families about reliability and flexibility.
• A short “Book a tour” or “Join our waiting list” form: name, email, phone, child’s age and start date only.
• An FAQ on regional questions: FIFO rosters, part-time enrolment, extreme heat days.

Send an instant automated reply to every enquiry, then call personally within two hours if you can.

Email, SMS and nurture sequences

Email and SMS keep you in touch with families between enquiry and enrolment. Free or low-cost tools such as HubSpot or MailerLite are enough for most regional centres. Capture addresses through website forms, and train staff to ask permission to add callers to your newsletter. Keep emails text-led, as heavy image templates load poorly on weak connections.

A three-email welcome sequence

1. Immediately: thank the family and give one next step, to book a tour or call.
2. Two days later: show one distinctive part of your program, such as nature play or bush learning.
3. Five days later: address a regional concern, such as flexibility for shift or FIFO work, with a testimonial from a parent whose schedule you accommodated.

Monthly newsletters should follow the seasons: heat safety and water play in summer, school transitions in autumn, wet-season preparedness in the north, and school holiday care in December, when many rural families need extra care during harvest or cattle work. Use one call to action per issue.

SMS for anything time-sensitive

Regional families read texts within minutes and may leave emails for hours. Build an opt-in list and use SMS sparingly for genuinely immediate news: vacancy alerts, holiday programs, open day invitations and urgent changes. For example: “Hi Sarah, we have a place opening Friday in our 2–3 year room. Call us to secure it.” Small communities remember being spammed.

Waitlists and open days

A healthy waiting list is the foundation of a stable regional centre. Regional lists are smaller than metro ones (five to eight families for an age group rather than thirty), but they convert better and families tend to stay for years. Many join early, sometimes when their child is about one, giving you months to build the relationship.

Capture and nurture

Make “Join our waiting list” prominent on your website with a simple form (a free Google Form works), keep paper enquiry forms at the centre and on community noticeboards, train staff to offer a waitlist place on every phone enquiry, and keep a visible waiting-list book at reception. Call within 48 hours of a family joining and ask what matters to them, follow with an email of photos, educator bios, fees and the enrolment process, then an open day invitation two weeks later. Send updates every four to six weeks, segmented by age group and start date. Handwritten notes stand out where automated sequences can feel cold.

Run open days as community events

The best regional open days feel like a community gathering. Invite the whole town, put on a barbecue, add face painting or children’s activities, and let parents see educators interacting naturally with children. A Carnarvon centre might run a Saturday afternoon drop-in; a Kalgoorlie centre might tie its open day to a community fair. In mining and remote towns, a monthly open day suits the steady flow of new arrivals. Promote it with a Facebook Event three weeks out, flyers at medical practices, the library and council offices, a request for your council to share it, a notice in the local paper, a GBP event post and an SMS to your waiting list.

Follow up

Within 48 hours, email every attending family and mention something specific about them. A week later, send a handwritten note; after two weeks without a reply, make a gentle check-in call. Track every enquiry and follow-up in a spreadsheet or CRM, and when a long-waiting family finally enrols, mark it with a welcome letter, a small gift for the child and a call from the director.

Filling vacancies quickly

In a regional centre a vacancy is a financial emergency. Each unfilled place can cost $200 to $400 a week, and in a 40-place centre each one is 2.5 per cent of revenue. Empty places also unsettle educators and, in a small town, prompt talk that the centre is struggling. Act within 48 hours.

The first 48 hours

• Post a friendly note in community groups: “We have a space for [age group] starting [date]. If you know anyone looking, we’d love to chat.”
• Add a GBP post and lift Google Ads on “[town] childcare vacancy” and “[town] childcare available now” at $10 to $20 a day for a few days.
• Text your waiting list and invite current families to refer friends.

The first week and beyond

Contact local employers (mining, agriculture, health, retail, schools) and ask them to share the vacancy in staff newsletters; one mention in a large employer’s newsletter can fill a place. Tell local real estate agents, ask your local radio station for a community announcement, and leave “Space available” flyers at medical practices, antenatal clinics and council offices. If the place is still open after a week, place a small local newspaper ad, ask current families personally to mention it, and offer to present to employer HR teams or school information evenings.

Preventing vacancies

• Hold exit conversations and record every reason a family leaves; repeated reasons point to a fixable problem.
• Offer sibling priority and a small sibling discount.
• Encourage early notice (for example, a discount on the final month for two months’ notice) so you can market a place while it is still filled.
• Map predictable patterns such as school holiday withdrawals, children moving to kindy, harvest and project timelines, and build targeted waitlists ahead of them.

Word of mouth, referrals and local partnerships

In towns of 5,000 to 15,000 people, word of mouth is the foundation of everything else. Parents ask at the school gate, the shop and church before they search. A happy family tells their friends; an unhappy one tells more. Our guide to marketing your childcare centre to local Australian parents covers the wider principles.

Earn the reputation

Word of mouth comes from consistent, noticeable care: warm greetings at pick-up, prompt daily photos, educators who remember each child’s preferences, transparent communication about incidents and genuine flexibility. When something goes wrong, respond immediately, take responsibility and explain what will change. Regional communities respect accountability more than perfection.

Referrals and reviews at small-town scale

Large gift cards can feel out of place in a town of 8,000. Proportional gestures work better: a free week or day of care, a thank-you card made by the children, a local café voucher, or a donation to the school fete in the referring family’s name. In high-turnover Pilbara towns, a larger fee credit can still suit. Ask every new family, “Who do we have to thank for recommending us?” and record it. Invite reviews conversationally rather than asking for five stars, and respond to negative reviews with care and concrete action; in a small town they are rarely anonymous.

Partnerships that send families your way

• Health professionals: GPs, child health nurses and antenatal classes are trusted sources. Visit, leave brochures and offer to speak at antenatal classes.
• Schools and OSHC: partner on transition and kindy information nights; older siblings in OSHC are strong promoters.
• Employers: mining companies, hospitals, government departments and large farms can include you in relocation packs and staff benefit communications.
• Real estate agents and relocation services: give them information packs for incoming families.
• Community life: sponsor junior sport, fetes, shows and markets, and join local business groups, Rotary or Lions.

A twelve-month local area marketing playbook

Local area marketing (LAM) focuses effort on the families who can realistically reach you. A Busselton centre might define “local” as 15 kilometres; Broome or Karratha might reach 100 kilometres; an isolated town such as Exmouth might draw from 200 kilometres. Map where current families live and define your area as roughly 30 to 60 minutes’ travel.

Prioritise channels in this order: Facebook community groups, Google Business Profile, word of mouth and community presence, Google Ads, then letterbox drops and local print (especially in new housing estates; test a 500-home drop and ask every enquirer how they heard about you).

Period	Focus
January–February	Back to school. Push OSHC and remaining places; lift Google Ads and Facebook spend for the January enquiry peak.
March–May	Showcase new educators and learning highlights. Pilbara and Goldfields: prepare for autumn hiring.
June–August	Winter holidays drive OSHC and holiday program enquiries. Northern WA: dry-season tourism workforce. Build waitlists ahead of mid-year withdrawals.
September–November	Promote summer holiday care and next year’s places. Farming areas: flexible care for harvest and shearing. Second mining hiring window.
December	Holiday care questions and January enrolment content. Kimberley: wet-season scheduling.

Budgets and measurement

Regional LAM budgets typically range from $150 to $600 a month. A small single-site operator might spend around $150, mostly staff time on Facebook and GBP plus about $50 in Google Ads; a larger centre might spend $400 to $600, including $200 to $300 in Google Ads and occasional print. Lift spend for one to three months when an opportunity appears, such as a new estate, a mine expansion or a seasonal peak. Track monthly enquiries, waitlist length by age group, GBP calls and direction requests, local website traffic and “How did you hear about us?” for every enquiry. Useful targets are a top-three GBP ranking for “[town] childcare” and a standing waitlist of three to five families per age group.

Frequently asked questions

Get a marketing plan for your regional WA centre

ChildCare Marketing helps early learning centres across regional Western Australia fill places with practical, locally tuned marketing, from Google Business Profile and Google Ads to Facebook community strategy and enquiry follow-up. Request your free childcare marketing plan or contact our team to talk about your town and your vacancies.