Comes to you • Telehealth
Anna McCauley Occupational Therapy
SYDNEY NSW 1001
Occupational therapy
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School Readiness support in Sydney, NSW
Worried your child isn't ready for kindy or big school.
- 5 providers found
- 3 offering telehealth
Recommended services for school readiness
These services most often help children with school readiness. Select one to find out more.
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CARED
Sydney NSW 2000Speech therapyOccupational therapyPsychologyNo reviews yetEnquire for pricingAsk about availability - Clinic • Comes to you
Earlybirds Speech Pathology And Create Speech Pathology
Sydney NSW 2000Speech therapyEarly interventionLearning support & tutoringNo reviews yetEnquire for pricingAsk about availability - Clinic • Comes to you • Telehealth
LiveBig World Square
Sydney NSW 2000Speech therapyOccupational therapyPsychologyNo reviews yetEnquire for pricingAsk about availability - Clinic
Wellness Experts
Sydney NSW 2000Speech therapyOccupational therapyPsychologyNo reviews yetEnquire for pricingAsk about availability
About Sydney
About 16,700 people live in Sydney, roughly 700 of them children under 10. The median personal income locally is $971 a week. Beyond English, the languages most often spoken at home are Mandarin, Thai and Indonesian. Population, age and language data: ABS Census 2021.
Cost & funding
Fees depend on the service, the provider and the length of the session. Ask each provider for their fees before the first visit.
Medicare pays a rebate for some OT and speech therapy sessions when your GP writes a GP Chronic Condition Management Plan and a referral first. Some private health extras policies pay part of the cost of OT and speech therapy.
If your child has an NDIS plan that includes these supports, you can use it. If your plan is self-managed or plan-managed, you can also use providers that are not NDIS registered. If the NDIA manages your plan, you must use registered providers.
NDIS price limit
$193.99 an hour
OT and speech pathology, 2026–27.
Medicare rebate
$63.40 a session
Up to 5 sessions a year in total with a GP Chronic Condition Management Plan.
Note: NDIS price limits are the national maximums for NDIA-managed and plan-managed plans (NDIS Pricing Schedule 2026–27); remote areas have higher limits. Medicare rebates are from MBS Online, 1 July 2026. Providers can charge more than the rebate. Assessment fees come from provider websites in April 2026.
Work out what you might pay: cost calculatorWhere to start in New South WalesRead our guide to NDIS early intervention fundingWhat to expect at the start
Background
The OT asks about your child's health, development and the everyday tasks they find hard.
Assessment
They watch your child do tasks and complete an assessment. Bring recent school reports and any other reports.
Goals together
You agree on goals and options together. Sessions may be one-to-one or in a group.
Sources: NSW Health; Raising Children Network.
Frequently asked questions
The Sydney Children's Hospitals Network says school readiness is when a child has the ability and skills to start school easily and successfully. The NSW Department of Education says children develop at different rates and learn skills in different ways, and that schools plan learning around the skills students bring with them. A 2019 opinion piece on Early Childhood Australia's website argues that school readiness should be about whether the school is ready or suitable for the child.
The Sydney Children's Hospitals Network lists school readiness tasks for children aged 4 to 5, such as pulling their own pants or skirt up and down for the toilet, sitting at a table for meals and snacks until they finish, and opening and closing their drink bottle and lunch box. It also suggests giving them 2-step instructions before they start. The NSW Department of Education says children can practise writing their first name, and schools encourage parents to read with their children every day for 15 minutes.
The NSW Department of Education says when your child starts school is an individual decision, and you may wish to discuss it with your child's preschool teacher, carer, doctor or local primary school. In NSW, children can start Kindergarten if they turn 5 on or before 31 July that year, and by law they must be in school by their 6th birthday. In Queensland, parents may delay their child's entry to Prep by one year if they feel the child is not ready, and no formal documentation, assessment or approval is required. These rules are for NSW and Queensland only, so ask your local primary school about the rules where you live.
The Sydney Children's Hospitals Network in NSW says that if your child has trouble with toileting tasks or holding a pencil by themselves, speak to your local child and family nurse service about support from an occupational therapist. If your child has trouble following 2-step instructions, it suggests asking the same service about a speech pathologist. It says developmental delays are likely to be identified at regular health check-ups with your family doctor. It also recommends booking your child's free four-year developmental check with your local family doctor when they are 4 years old.
The NSW Department of Education says most schools have orientation days towards the end of the year. It suggests walking or driving past the school regularly before school starts and being positive. It also suggests reassuring your child that it is OK to tell the teacher what they need and how they are feeling. In Queensland, the government suggests giving your child's Prep teacher their kindergarten transition statement.
Services in Sydney
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