FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How can I claim the Child Care Subsidy (CCS)?

Before enrolling at the centre, you should contact the Centrelink to discuss your eligibility for these entitlements. You will be required to complete the Centrelink application process for these benefits. On our enrolment form, we require you to provide a CRN number for the child, a CRN number for the claimant parent and the birth date of the claimant parent. This information is mandatory for us to link your enrolment to Centrelink to initiate entitlement payments.

Will my CCS payments change?

There may be changes to your entitlements as they are based on the financial information you share with Centrelink. We do not receive advance notification of variances to your entitlements. If there are changes to your entitlements, it may impact your out-of-pocket weekly fee payments. For information regarding changes to your CCS payments, we recommend you contact Centrelink. It is the family’s responsibility to update their personal and financial information with Centrelink.

What happens if my family wants to change the claiming parent for CCS purposes?

If you wish to change the claiming parent, please notify us via email. You will also need to advise Centrelink of this change. The claiming parent will receive all emails and reports relating to CCS.

Will my child’s immunisation status impact my CCS entitlements?

Kidz Place requires a copy of your child’s Immunisation History Statement on enrolment. We also require you to provide an updated copy of the Statement after any new immunisations. The government has a ‘No Jab No Pay’ policy and CCS entitlements will cease if a child’s immunisation is not up-to-date. It is the family’s responsibility to ensure they are familiar with immunisation requirements and to ensure Centrelink has the accurate immunisation information for your child. Please provide a copy of the Immunisation History Statement Certificate that can be printed from your MyGov account.

How do I receive the Weekly Statement of Account?

Our weekly Statement of Account will be emailed every Tuesday to the parent whose details are listed on the eDebit authority form. If you wish to change the person receiving this Statement, please notify us via email.

How do I pay my fees?

Fees are paid weekly (on a Tuesday) by a direct debit from your nominated savings account.

Overdue Childcare Fees

Any family who is one or more weeks late with their fees will receive a fee reminder via email or phone call. Continually not paying fees will jeopardise your enrolment at the service.

If families are having difficulty making fee payments they should immediately speak with the Director to discuss fee payment arrangements. Information provided by families will be treated as strictly private and confidential.

In cases of non-payment of fees, where the service is unable to contact families about the debt, or families do not meet agreed arrangements for repayment of the debt and ongoing payment of fees:

bond payments will be applied to outstanding debt amounts and
the Director may immediately suspend or terminate the child’s place at the service. Families will be advised of this action in writing.

How do I pay the bond and enrolment fee?

We require these payments to be direct deposited to the Kidz Place bank account before your child’s first day of attendance. Please use your child’s full name as the reference.

If my child is ill, can they attend childcare?

If you child is ill and will not be at childcare, please phone or email the centre to advise the absence. If your child is ill, we recommend that you keep the child at home. If an exclusion period applies, please bring a doctor’s certificate when your child returns to the centre.

As a child care centre, we comply with the guidelines set by the National Health and Medical Research Foundation to protect all children, staff and families at our centre. Please visit the Foundation’s website for further information – www.nhmrc.gov.au.

How do I advise the centre that my child is sick and will not be attending childcare?

Kidz Place is required to submit timely and accurate attendance records for all children in our care to Centrelink. Submitting incorrect absence information can impact a family’s CCS entitlements. We are required to keep this information on file for 7 years. All absences due to illness and holidays must be advised to Kidz Place via OWNA app or email – i nfo@kidzplaceelc.com.au

If my child is absent from childcare due to illness, do I need to pay fees?

Yes, if your child is absent you will need to pay fees for that day. You will receive your regular CCS entitlements for that day.

What if my child becomes ill while at the centre?

If a child is not well, our policies requires us to contact the primary contact person for the child. We will always seek permission to administer Panadol when required. Some illnesses require immediate exclusion from the centre due to health and safety regulations. We will advise you if this is the case.

What should I do if my child needs medication administered whilst at child care?

You will be required to complete a mediation form each day that the child needs medication administered.

I am going on holidays, do I need to pay childcare fees while I am away?

If you would like your position at Kidz Place kept open for your child’s return, you will need to pay fees during your holiday period. Please advise the office of your holidays plans.

My employer has called me in to work for an additional day, can I swap childcare days to match my work commitment?

We do not swap days. Subject to availability, you can book an additional day. For a permanent change of childcare days, we require 2 weeks’ notice in writing to make a change to your permanent booking.

What if I am not able to collect my child before 6:00 pm?

We are license to operate from 7:00 am to 6:00pm. If you are going to be late, you are required to phone the centre as soon as possible and indicate your approximate arrive time. There will be a $1.00 late fee per minute to cover the cost of two staff to supervise your child.

Do I need to apply sunscreen to my child before arriving at childcare?

Yes, all children should be sunscreened before arriving. Sunscreen will be re-applied to your children during the day as per our Sun Safe Policy.

Who prepares the food for the centre?

Our meals are catered by a professional food catering company – Kids Gourmet Food. They deliver fresh nutritious meals to Kidz Place every morning. We provide morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea as part of your fees. Our weekly menus can be found on the Mainhouse noticeboard and the daily menu is posted in OWNA app.

Do we cater for special dietary or allergy requirements?

We are a Halal centre and can cater for dietary, religious or allergy requirements. Requirements must be specified one week prior to enrolment.

Where can I find the weekly menu?

The weekly menus are located on the noticeboard in the Mainhouse foyer and the noticeboard outside the Pre-School.

What should I do if my child has a medical condition?

If you child has a medical condition, you must inform the centre in writing at the time of enrolment. Some medical conditions will require families to provide a medical management plan signed by a doctor eg anaphylaxis, asthma, severe allergies. This medical management plan must be provided to the centre on the first day of attendance.

Do you have an orientation process?

We invite all new children to visit the centre for an orientation visit. A parent or adult carer must stay onsite during the orientation visit. Please allow approximately 45 minutes for an orientation visit. The visit allows the child to get familiar with the environment, the educators and the other children. It also provides our educators with an opportunity to learn more about your child.

What will my first few weeks be like at childcare?

Everyone’s experience is different. Some children settle into a new environment very quickly; other children need more time to feel comfortable. We will work with families to plan the transition period. This article may provide some information on how to prepare for childcare:
http://www.popsugar.com/moms/Preparing-Your-Child-Positive-Daycare-Experience-27333890

What do I need to pack for my child?

All children should bring a backpack to Kidz Place. The bag should contain: spare clothing, sun-safe wide brimmed hat (a beanie in winter), water bottle with closable lid, milk bottles if required, dummies, cot sized sheet set in a bag or pillowcase. All items (including shoes and socks) should be name labelled in permanent marker pen.

What can I not bring to childcare?

We are a nut aware centre. No nut or nut based products should be brought into the centre. We encourage healthy eating and discourage the children from bringing lollies, soft drink and chocolate to Kidz Place.

Can my child bring toys to Kidz Place?

Children bring items from home for Show and Tell. They also bring personal toys to comfort them whilst at Kidz Place. Please ensure all these items are name labelled. Our policy does not allow for small toys, play jewellery or toys with small parts (that may become be a choking and safety hazard) to be brought into the centre.

Can I bring a birthday cake for my child?

We love celebrating the children’s birthdays. If you would like to supply a birthday cake for your child, we suggest individual cupcakes or cookies. Please liaise with the educators if you are planning to bring birthday cakes. Cakes must be nut free and preferably not chocolate. In the interest of safety for all children, please provide an ingredient listing of birthday cakes.

What happens if my contact details change?

Families are responsible for updating the centre of any changes to contact details, bank account details, pick-up arrangements, emergency contacts and Centrelink eligibility.

Do you have a school readiness program?

We have a qualified and experienced Early Childhood Teacher who oversees our curriculum and school readiness program. The program is imbedded into the daily curriculum of the preschool room. Through play the children engage in learning experiences that promote pre-literacy and pre-numeracy development in preparation for kindergarten. They also participate in learning experiences that build on science knowledge, social and emotional development skills and self-help skills. Growing and encouraging their independence is also fostered in the pre-school room. All these skills are very important for a successful transition to kindergarten.

What style of teaching does your centre practice?

We teach in line with the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) with a focus on play based learning.

Do families pay on Public Holidays?

Families will pay for any booked day of education and care which falls on a public holiday.

Does your centre close at Christmas?

We close for one week between Christmas and New Year every year. No fees will be charged during our closure period.

How much notice is required to terminate my child’s position?

We require two weeks’ written notice by email to terminate your child’s position. The service reserves the right to invoice you for 2 weeks’ full fees if this does not occur.

Are there any restrictions on receiving CCS entitlements when planning to leave childcare?

Under Family Assistance Law there is an impact on CCS entitlements during your last weeks of booked care at a child care centre. We provide this information to assist you with planning your exit from child care.

A family is not eligible for CCS entitlements when the child
does not physically attend childcare on the last day (or days) of their notice period.

Examples:

A child has a regular booking for 2 days a week (ie 4 days across the 2 week notice period).
You give 2 weeks’ notice and the child attends all regular days in the 2 week period. All 4 days are eligible for CCS entitlements.
You give 2 weeks’ notice and the child does not attend any days in the 2 week notice period. The 4 days will not be eligible for CCS entitlements. Full fees will be applicable.
You give 2 weeks’ notice and the child attends 2 days in the first week and the first day in the second week. They do not attend on the final day of booked care. The last day of care is not eligible for CCS entitlements. Full fees apply for the final day of booked care.
You give 2 weeks’ notice and the child is sick in the last 2 weeks and only attends the last day of booked care. All 4 days are eligible for CCS entitlements.

In summary, it is recommended that your child physically attends childcare on their last day of booked care to maintain your regular entitlements.

Kidz Place will not be advised of your final CCS payments until we submit to Centrelink the attendance data for the final week of your booked care. Bonds will be refunded after final Centrelink payments are received and your fee account has been reconciled.

There are some exceptions to this ruling and individual cases should be discussed with Centrelink.

When will my bond be refunded?

Your bond will be refunded after your fee account has been finalised and all CCS entitlements have been received from Centrelink – usually 2 to 3 weeks after the child’s exit date.

What is your car parking policy?

We have dedicated parking spaces for families and relatives dropping off and collecting children. They are located at the front and the left-hand side of our Mainhouse. Please park between the lines and be considerate of others to ensure that all parking spaces can be utilised. Our available spaces are in constant use and we are not able to offer all day parking to families.

Kidz Place Policies and Procedures Documents

Families are encouraged to read, review and provide feedback on Kidz Place Policies and Procedures documents. A white folder containing a full set of Kidz Place Policies and Procedures documents is located in the Mainhouse foyer.

If you have any queries or require clarification, please contact our Office on 9639 2596.