Outside school hours care – also known as “school-aged care”, “OOSH” or “afters” – is booming.
As of 2020, it was the fastest-growing childcare sector in Australia. As of 2022, it catered to 486,310 primary school children.
Enrolments have surged by 111% over the past 20 years, as more mothers have worked as they raise their children.
However, there is a lack of consistency in quality. About 14% of services fall short of the national quality standards for these services, and only 11% are exceeding them.
Our new research shows how designing activities with children and their communities can help improve the quality of these services.