Background: Early childhood development (ECD) centres play a crucial role in children's well-being. Multifaceted obstacles hinder ECD centres registration. Overcoming these challenges demands a multisectoral approach to ensure quality education for all children. Aim: This study provides an overview of the quality of ECD centres in South Africa, and then focusses on the specific obstacles ECD centres face in registering their centres with the Department of Social Development (DSD). Setting: An ECD census was conducted in nine South African provinces. Methods: This study analysed data from the South Africa ECD Census (2021). The sample size was 42 420; however, this study analysed data for 39 375 for centres who responded to whether they were registered with the DSD across all South Africa's nine provinces. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: Only 16% of ECD centres were in the formal registration process, while 43% were not registered. Barriers included no bank account, a lack of separate classes, and insufficient staff. In multivariate analysis, the absence of a bank account strongly predicted registration barriers (RRR 4.21; CI 6.37-7.62, p < 0.05). Conclusion: This study underscores the critical role of ECD centres in shaping the foundational aspects of children's lives. There is an urgent need to streamline the ECD registration process. Contribution: The study finds 43% of childcare centres were unregistered, supporting the call for simplified registration to improve access to quality education and reduce educational disparities in South Africa.