Childcare and Early Learning Furniture Checklist for Australia

Last updated: October 2026

An early learning room needs child height tables and chairs, low open shelving children can reach, cubbies for bags and take home items, display boards, secure storage for staff belongings, and seating and tables for staff and family events. EasyMart Australia supplies the storage, display and staff side of that list, and childcare centres can request bulk quotes for whole room fit-outs.

This checklist extends the early learning notes in our school locker and furniture fit-out planning guide for long day care, kindergarten and family day care settings.

Quick answer

• Children's furniture: tables and chairs at child height, low shelves, cubbies and soft areas.
• Display and planning: pinboards for children's work and a whiteboard for routines and programming.
• Staff and admin: lockable storage for staff bags and phones, an office desk and visitor seating.
• Safety: anchor tall or top heavy furniture, keep everything clean and in good repair, and check for sharp edges and pinch points.
• Bulk orders: send a room by room list through the bulk classroom furniture page.

What furniture does an early learning room need?

Use this checklist to plan each room. The EasyMart column lists current products and prices; where EasyMart does not list a suitable item, that is noted.

Item	Why it matters	EasyMart option	Price
Child height tables and chairs	Play, meals and group activities	Not currently listed online	On quote
Low open shelving	Children choose and pack away resources themselves	Statewide 300mm Deep Bookshelf, 600 x 900 x 300mm, 1 shelf, lifetime warranty	$329
Low bookcase	Book corner and resource storage	Rapidline Open Bookcase, 900 x 900 x 315mm, 2 adjustable shelves, 5 year warranty	$207
Bag and take home cubbies	One labelled space per child	Steelco Pigeonhole Cabinet, 20 compartments, 940 x 1000 x 386mm, 10 year warranty	$457
Display board	Children's artwork and family notices	Rapidline Pinboard (felt, blue or grey) or Corkboard, 8 year warranty	From $87 or $79
Routine and programming board	Daily routines, rosters, planning	Rapidline Standard Magnetic Whiteboard, 8 year warranty	From $87
Staff valuables storage	Keeps staff bags and phones out of children's reach	Steelco Mini Locker, 720 x 350 x 460mm, key lock, wall mounting holes, 10 year warranty	$119
Staff and family event seating	Parent nights, staff meetings	Rapidline Polypropylene Stacking Chair, 150kg rating, 3 year warranty	$42

 

Which low shelving and storage suits young children?

Low, stable units let children reach resources without climbing. From the EasyMart range:

• Statewide 300mm Deep Bookshelf: the 600mm high, 900mm wide unit is Australian made from Bluescope steel, fully welded and covered by a lifetime warranty. It comes in 14 colours, though non stock colours take 4 to 6 weeks to be powder coated.
• Rapidline Open Bookcase: 900mm high, 900mm wide and 315mm deep in beech melamine with 25mm thick adjustable shelves, $207.
• Steelco Pigeonhole Cabinet: the 20 compartment version is 940mm high with slide in dividers and a 25kg uniformly distributed shelf load. It is supplied for DIY assembly, so check every fixing once built.
• Family day care at home: the Keezi 5 Tier Kids Bookshelf ($55, 800 x 300 x 855mm, rounded edges, 10kg per shelf) is a home grade option rather than commercial furniture.

Keep the 1080mm high Steelco Mini Locker ($146) and taller bookcases in staff areas, and anchor them to the wall.

What safety and cleaning checks apply to childcare furniture?

Under the Education and Care Services National Regulations, regulation 103 requires premises, furniture and equipment to be safe, clean and in good repair, and regulation 105 deals with furniture, materials and equipment (as cited in the South Australian Department for Education operational guide on furniture and equipment for care). Check the current regulations and your regulatory authority for exact obligations.

• Anchor tall furniture. Product Safety Australia advises securing furniture to the wall or floor as the best way to stop it tipping, and choosing low set furniture with a broad, stable base (Product Safety Australia, toppling furniture and TVs). The Steelco Mini Locker has pre drilled wall mounting holes.
• Stop climbing. Do not place items that attract children on top of shelves or lockers.
• Check edges and gaps. Run a hand over every edge and corner, and look for pinch points in doors and hinges.
• Choose wipeable surfaces. Powder coated steel, melamine and polypropylene wipe down easily between sessions.
• Inspect regularly. Add furniture to your daily safety check and remove damaged items from use straight away.
• Lock away staff items. Staff bags can hold medication and other hazards, so use lockable storage out of reach.

How much does it cost to furnish an early learning room?

Costs depend on room size and how many children you are licensed for. As a worked example, a storage, display and staff kit for one room at current EasyMart prices:

Item	Qty	Price each	Total
Rapidline Open Bookcase, 900mm high	2	$207	$414
Steelco Pigeonhole Cabinet, 20 compartments	1	$457	$457
Rapidline Pinboard, 1800 x 1200mm	1	$245	$245
Rapidline Standard Whiteboard, 1200 x 900mm	1	$147	$147
Steelco Mini Locker, 720mm high	1	$119	$119
Room subtotal			$1,382

Add child height tables and chairs, soft furnishings and rest equipment from your preferred supplier or on quote. A centre with several rooms can request bulk pricing on the full list.

What about staff rooms and the front office?

Staff areas use standard adult furniture. Steel lockers such as Steelco Steel Lockers start at $272 for a single door and $363 for a six door unit, and the staff locker room layout guide covers planning. For whiteboard and pinboard sizing, see our classroom whiteboard and pinboard guide, and for parent night seating, stackable vs fixed classroom chairs.

How do childcare centres order from EasyMart?

• Delivery: Australia wide.
• Click and Collect: available on Rapidline, OLP (including Steelco) and Statewide products, which covers every commercial item in the checklist above. The Keezi bookshelf is delivery only.
• Payment: Afterpay at checkout.
• Bulk quotes: send a room by room list through the bulk classroom furniture page, or browse bookcases and bookshelves.

What furniture does a childcare centre need?|||Child height tables and chairs, low open shelving, bag cubbies, display boards, a routine whiteboard, lockable staff storage, and seating and tables for staff and families.@@@Does EasyMart sell children's tables and chairs for childcare?|||Commercial child height tables and chairs are not currently listed online. EasyMart supplies storage, display and staff furniture, and you can ask about other items through the bulk classroom furniture page.@@@Does childcare furniture need to be anchored to the wall?|||Product Safety Australia advises securing furniture to the wall or floor to prevent tipping. Anchor tall or top heavy items, and choose low, broad based units in children's areas.@@@How much does it cost to furnish a childcare room?|||A storage, display and staff kit of two bookcases, a 20 compartment pigeonhole cabinet, a pinboard, a whiteboard and a mini locker comes to $1,382 at current EasyMart prices, before children's tables and chairs.@@@What storage works for children's bags?|||Open pigeonholes let each child find their own space. The Steelco Pigeonhole Cabinet has 20 compartments in a 940mm high unit with slide in dividers.@@@