Resonate CX Reveals 2026 Parent Insights Report at Exclusive Events Across Australia

Australia, February 2026 — Resonate CX, Australia’s leading customer experience platform and trusted partner to the childcare and out-of-school-care sector, has concluded a series of exclusive, invite-only executive events across Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, marking the release of its 2026 Childcare Customer Opportunities Market Research Report.

The multi-city events brought together senior leaders from Australia’s childcare and early education sector to explore findings from the third annual edition of the industry’s most closely watched parent insights report. Based on a statistically significant study with a 95% confidence level, the report provides childcare organisations with fresh data on what families want from care providers in 2026 and how those expectations are shifting.

What the Research Revealed

Hosted by Resonate CX CEO Mita Bedi, the sessions gave attendees early access to findings from thousands of Australian families. The research explored the factors that most strongly influence parent choice of childcare centre in 2026, how work-life dynamics are reshaping care expectations, and what providers can do to protect enrolments and strengthen long-term family relationships.

A key focus of the 2026 report is the role of family segments. The data breaks down parent cohorts by care patterns — including part-week and full-week families — revealing meaningfully different expectations, motivations, and churn risks across each group. For multi-site operators in particular, understanding which segment mix they serve across locations provides a clearer basis for tailoring enrolment and engagement strategies.

The report also examines what families value most in curriculum quality, staff interactions, and the everyday touchpoints that build trust over time. As competition for enrolments increases and family expectations continue to rise, the research highlights specific experience factors that distinguish high-retention providers from those facing ongoing churn pressure.

Download the 2026 Childcare Customer Opportunities Report

A Forum for the Sector’s Leaders

The events were designed as peer-level forums rather than broadcast presentations. Senior leaders from some of Australia’s largest childcare groups attended across the three cities, participating in structured sessions that connected the research findings to the operational and strategic decisions facing providers right now.

Discussions covered enrolment conversion, the challenge of increasing days for part-week families, and how providers can use experience data to differentiate in a market where centre quality is increasingly hard to signal through price or branding alone.

Related: Resonate CX Hosts Current State of Omni-Channel Retail 2026 Roadshow in Sydney

Why This Matters for the Sector

As enrolment patterns shift and the competition for families intensifies, the need to stay attuned to what parents actually want — and what causes them to leave — has never been more urgent. The 2026 report gives childcare providers a clear picture of the current market and a framework for acting on it.

Resonate CX conducts its childcare market research annually across Australia, providing the sector with a consistent, comparable view of how parent expectations evolve from year to year.

The 2026 Childcare Customer Opportunities Market Research Report is available to download now.

Access the full report here.

Want to see how Resonate CX can help your organisation turn parent feedback into action? Book a demo.