Choosing the Right Child Care Centre in Sydney, NSW
08/28/2019 | Written by Nikos Vasilellis in Babies & Toddlers
So, this period of your life has finally come: leaving your beloved child under the care of other people, for the first time. It's a strange feeling, for sure, nevertheless, it was just a matter of time to happen. Through this transitional period of your life, you need to have the right information to feel absolutely assured.
Indeed, there are many important aspects that all parents should take into consideration before deciding which child care centre to choose. The residents of Sydney and New South Wales (NSW) should know that the Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) regulates most providers of child care services.
Moreover, the regulation is supervised by the National Quality Framework (NQF) that provides a national approach to regulation, assessment and quality improvement for early childhood education and care and outside school hour care services across Australia. The home-based, mobile and occasional care services that are not covered by the NQF, are regulated by the state of NSW under different laws.
Below you can find useful information you need for finding the most suitable solution. Furthermore, you should not forget that as your children grow, there are different development stages. With the right preparation and mentality, you could make this experience count.
What to Check for the Right Child Care and Early Learning Centre in Sydney
The most essential criteria are also the most obvious: How are the place and its personnel like? After you have checked the above issues, you can look for more detailed factors that would suit you well. To summarise, the milestones for choosing the best Child Care and Early Learning Centre for your loved ones are the following:
- Make sure it is clean
- Ensure that the staff and the other children follow the fundamental rules of hygiene (i.e. washing their hands after the use of the toilet and the change of diapers)
- Find out about the child centre's compliance with dietary and allergies issues
- Ensure that all safety criteria are met (keeping medication out of reach of the children, what are the procedures of accident documentation and reporting to the parents, etc.)
- See if the timetable of the child care centre suits your needs ( i.e. does it close somedays during the year, does it provide you with the options of part-time or emergency child care)
- Assure that it is spacious and that there is access to an outdoor play area
- It would be advantageous if there is an induction program to make this transitional period of the children smoother
- The qualifications of both director and teachers of the child care centre are of great significance.
- You should also have a clear picture of the number of teachers in comparison to the children as well as the provision of daily reports by the teachers
- Another aspect that shall be taken into consideration is if the child care centre allows visiting from the parents
- Finally, you should check the quantity and quality of the toys used for the recreation of the kids
Types of Child Care Centres in Sydney NSW
There are six types of child care centres:
- Long daycare centres
- Occasional care centres
- Family daycare centres
- In-home care centres
- Out of school hours care centres (This is divided into before school hours and after school hours care centres)
- Vacation care centres
The residents of Sydney and NSW can search for approved Child Care Centres and Early Learning services providers, using the following government website:https://www.childcarefinder.gov.auAll you need to do is just enter your suburb or postcode and the whole process of searching is easy.
Child Care Subsidy
The Child Care Subsidy has replaced the Child Care Benefit that was provided as financial help to parents until the 2nd of July 2018. To receive it, you or your partner shall meet the following requirements:
- You must care for your child at least two nights per fortnight or have 14 % carefree
- You must be liable for fees for care provided at an approved child care services
- You must be living in Australia
- You must be an Australian citizen or hold a permanent visa
- You must hold a Special Category visa or hold a certain temporary visa type
- Children up to the age of 19 must meet the Australian Government's immunisation requirements or have an exemption
The requirements could also be met if either you or your partner are a student from overseas sponsored by the Australian government to study in Australia. Additionally, you could get the Child Care Subsidy if you are in hardship or apply for Special Circumstances.
You should also keep in mind that the amount of Child Care Subsidy you can get, depends on your family's income, on the hourly rate cap based, on the type of approved child care you use, your child's age and on the hours of activity you and your partner do.
You can claim the Child Care Subsidy, using the following government website:https://www.humanservices.gov.au/individuals/services/centrelink/child-care-subsidy/how-claim
You now know the fundamentals on how to choose the right Child Care and Early Learning Centres in Sydney and New South Wales. The final choice is always yours, as the needs of your children for both quality care and developing their social skills coincide with your professional needs and timetable.
As this would probably be the first time that your kids will have to stay with people other than relatives, thorough and detailed research is on the cards. Make it count!
