Show me the money!
Everyone wants the best care that they can afford for their children, but no one wants to experience financial hardship in order to do so.
Don’t forget the Child Care Subsidy!
The daily rate is the amount you will be charged each day, per child, before application of the Child Care Subsidy, which is paid directly to the centre to reduce your day care fees.
The Child Care Subsidy can reduce daily childcare costs by up to 85%, subject to a range of conditions like your income and hours of work (including some types of unpaid work).
The Government has created some great CCS fact sheets & CCS rebate calculators to help you estimate what your CCS entitlement will be.
What’s included?
Some centres charge lower daily rates, but don’t provide everything that your child will need throughout the day. Make sure that you check and see whether the daycare fee includes:
- Meals & snacks
- Nappies
- Formula
- Bottles
- Bed linen
- Hats
- Sunscreen
- Safe and high quality facilities.
Comparable daily rates for childcare
When you’re looking at early learning centres, check out the daily rate for neighbouring centres to get a sense of whether it is comparable with other centres of a similar standard in the same area. The daily rate should be a function of rent and wage costs, so rates should be roughly consistent across the same geographic area.
Does the centre charge for public holidays?
Many centres do charge for public holidays, so consider whether you’ll be paying on days that the centre is closed.
Important questions to ask
Do the centre’s opening hours suit you?
If not, ask if they can be adjusted to suit your needs, as you may not be the only family needing care earlier or later in the day.
Does the centre have ample pick up and drop off parking?
There’s nothing worse than having to park a kilometre down the street and lug your child with their nappy bag back to the centre. Make sure there’s plenty of parking to make the process seamless and stress free.
Who can drop your child off and pick them up each day?
It doesn’t have to be you – if you have a friend or family member who lives nearby, you can authorise them to do pick ups and drop offs.
Meeting your child’s health and wellness needs
Does your child have additional needs including allergies or health conditions that need special attention? Make sure that you ask the centre what arrangements they have in place to meet those needs.
What’s the vibe like?
We cannot emphasise enough the importance of touring the centre before you make your decision. Early learning centres with a great online presence don’t necessarily provide the best care for children – so make sure that you head into the centre for a tour, meet the team, get a feel for the centre’s learning environments, and get a read on the centre’s overall vibe.
It’s normal for a childcare centre to be a pretty noisy place, but if you walk in and the centre feels like barely controlled chaos, it might be because it is. Trust your gut on whether you get a good feeling about the centre when you go on your tour.
Some things to look out for on your tour:
- Is the team friendly and welcoming to you and your child?
- Does your tour guide ask questions about your child and their needs?
- Is the centre clean and tidy?
- Do you observe the team engaging in meaningful interactions with the children?
- Do the centre spaces look well maintained and safe?
- Are the meals being served meals that you’d be happy to eat?
What are they teaching your child?
Can you see evidence of the educational program in the centre? Newer centres will take time to get evidence of the children’s learning on the walls, but there is an expectation in the sector that children’s learning will be visible in the centre environments.
Do you see evidence of ‘activities’ or ‘experiences’? Not sure about the difference between the two? Industry expert Priscilla Carmichael explains it this way: ‘activities ’ suggest a task children have been directed to complete. ‘Experiences’ on the other hand, involve the ‘whole child’ – where ‘the child impacts the outcome because they are encouraged to bring themselves, their ideas and their personalities to the experience, which doesn’t have a predetermined outcome’.
The boring bits
It’s not so exciting, but it will make a difference to your experience attending the centre each day. Make sure you ask yourself what the centre’s approach is to:
- Parent communication – is there an app or a newsletter for families on a daily, weekly or monthly basis?
- Late fees – is a fee charged for late collection? If so, what is it?
- Is there an open-door policy so that you can share your interests with the children? Champion scuba diver? Bring in your gear and show the children! Love baking? Come in and make some cookies with the children!
- Sickness – your child will get sick in care. Whether it happens now or when they start school, sickness is an unfortunate part of building up each child’s immune system. It’s important to understand when the centre will be calling you to collect your child if they’re unwell, and when your child can return to care.
- Routines – will the centre honour your child’s existing routines with respect to play, meals and sleep?
Need further advice or have more questions? Don’t hesitate to reach out to the team on enquiries@futuro.nsw.edu.au!