Child Care
It is vital that our children are well cared for, but we can't all be with them 24 hours a day. Whether Long Day Care, Family Daycare, an Early Learning Center, a Kindergarten or  a Pre-school are what you need - look around. We have the childcare options that suit your needs.

In the Mackay Regional Council area there are thirty-seven early childhood centres, ranging from childcare centres to Pre-schools.  There are a further nineteen in the Whitsunday area and twelve in Isaac.  Older children are also catered for with Police Citizens Youth Clubs in the region offer ing before and after school hours care and a range of holiday activities. Many schools also provide before and after school care. 

Primary & High Schools
In Queensland, the school year operates from January through to December with holiday periods in between.  School is compulsory for children between the ages of 6 and 15.  The early childhood years of prep/pre-prep are optional, as are the final two years of high school.  In the region, there are a total of sixty-seven Primary Schools, nine High Schools, four Christian Schools and fifteen Private Schools.  

Whitsundays
The Proserpine and Airlie Beach areas are home to seven Primary Schools, including two situated on Hayman and Hamilton Islands and one Catholic, a Christian College and one High School. Bowen offers five Primary Schools, including one Catholic, and one High School whilst Collinsville has three Primary Schools and one High School.  

Mackay
There are a total of fourteen Primary Schools, three High Schools, three Christian Schools and ten Private Schools in the Mackay, Walkerston and Northern Beaches areas.  The Pioneer Valley is home to ten Primary Schools and one High School.  There are twelve Primary Schools and one High School on the Hibiscus Coast and Sarina boasts seven Primary Schools, one High School and one Private School.   

Isaac
There are sixteen Primary Schools in the Isaac Regional Council area, including six in Isaac East, six in Isaac West and four in Isaac North. There are also High Schools located in Dysart, Middlemount, Glenden, Clermont and Moranbah.

Special Needs
The region has a wide range of services available to support students with special needs.  Support available includes services to assist with information and programs for students with difficulties.  Assistance can be found by contacting your local school. The Mackay District Special School caters specifically to students with special needs.  There are also a number of schools who offer specialized programs and support for children with special educational needs. 

Higher Education
TAFE
The region is home to three TAFE campuses; Central Queensland Institute of TAFE in Mackay and Barrier Reef Institute of TAFE in Cannonvale and Bowen.  All offer a wide range of courses including Retail, Retail Cosmetics, Administration, Management, Accounting, Hospitality, Hairdressing, Horticulture, Community service, Nursing, Engineering and more .

Central Queensland Institute of TAFE has recently become CRICOS registered for a range of international programs and most of their higher level programs, such as Diploma and Advanced Diplomas, have direct career pathways into University.

Click here to visit the Central Queensland Institute of TAFE website.
Click here to visit the Barrier Reef Institute of TAFE website.

University
CQUniversity's presence in Mackay has grown considerably since the first intake of students in 1987 and the establishment of the campus in 1992.Today the Mackay campus serves as a base for hundreds of students and staff, and houses a wide range of facilities, including lecture theatres, a performance theatre, tutorial rooms, computer laboratories, a nursing laboratory, video-conference rooms, recording studios, student accommodation, a bookshop, a refectory, a library and more.

The Mackay campus is part of a national network of campuses operated by CQUniversity. A leading provider of distance education, the University also has campuses in Rockhampton, Bundaberg, Gladstone and Emerald plus a delivery site on the Sunshine Coast. The University also operates international campuses in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, and the Gold Coast.  The university offers a range of courses under the faculties of Arts, Humanities, Education, Business, Informatics, Sciences, Engineering and Health.

James Cook University’s study centre in Mackay provides tutorial support and a computer laboratory for external students in the region. The Faculty of Medicine, Health and Molecular Sciences also has a facility in the Mackay Hospital that coordinates placements for medicine and health sciences.

Click here to visit CQUniversity's Mackay Campus website.
Click here to visit James Cook University's Mackay Campus website.