Childcare exclusion periods in Victoria: the rules

Who regulates childcare in Victoria

Since 1 January 2026, the Victorian Early Childhood Regulatory Authority (VECRA) has been Victoria's independent regulator for early childhood education and care. It is also the regulator of the Child Safe Standards for early childhood services.

Exclusion is set in regulation

Victoria is different from most states: minimum exclusion periods are in the law. Schedule 7 of the Public Health and Wellbeing Regulations 2019 sets them for primary schools and children's services, which the Department of Health says includes childcare centres and kindergartens.

If you're in charge of a service and you've been told a child has a listed infection, or has been in contact with someone who does, you must not let the child attend for the period in the table. Parents must tell the person in charge if their child has a listed condition.

Some examples from the table

• Diarrhoeal illness: in a gastro outbreak, exclude until there has been no vomiting or loose bowel motion for 48 hours; for other diarrhoeal illness, 24 hours.
• Chickenpox and hand, foot and mouth disease: exclude until all blisters have dried.
• Impetigo: exclude until treatment has started, with sores on exposed skin covered by a watertight dressing.
• Influenza and influenza-like illness: exclude until well.

These are minimums. Check the full, current table on the Department of Health site rather than an old poster.

Chief Health Officer directions

The Chief Health Officer can direct a service to exclude a child, for example an unvaccinated child at risk of a vaccine-preventable disease, and will say when they can return.

What the Department asks services to do

• Make sure unwell children don't attend, as per Staying healthy.
• Isolate a child who becomes unwell during the day and send them home as soon as possible.
• Before alerting parents or putting up signs about an infection, call the Department on 1300 651 160 for advice.

Your part

Know where your service keeps the exclusion table, tell the person in charge about any child who seems unwell, and follow your service's procedures.