If you have a question that we haven’t covered for you in the below, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us via phone or email.

 

1. What are your centre hours?

6.30am – 6.30pm Monday – Friday. We are closed on weekends & public holidays.

2. Do you offer occasional care?

No – we are a Long Day Care approved provider.

3. Do you offer casual bookings?

Yes – if your child is enrolled for a minimum of one permanent booked day, you can enrol your child for additional casual days, subject to availability.

4. What does your daily fee include?

• Nappies
• Wipes
• Sunscreeen
• 5 Meals daily (Breakfast, Morning Tea, Lunch, Afternoon Tea, Late Snack)
• Specialist Programs – including – Playground to Plate®, Yoga & Mindfulness, Sport, Music & Language

5. How many Children’s rooms are there at Hadfield ELC?

There are 7 children’s rooms in total that all open out to our playground and outdoor spaces.

6. What is the ratio of children to educators?

• Children under three – 4 children to 1 educator
• Children over three – 11 children to 1 educator

7. Is there off street parking available?

Yes – you can enter our dedicated car park on West Street. There is keypad access from our car park into the centre.

8. How do I access the centre?

To gain access to Hadfield ELC from West Street or the car park, you will use the keypad at the front entrance. Families will be provided a code for this keypad following orientation. These doors don’t open automatically to passers by.

9. Do you have an integrated kinder program at Hadfield ELC?

Yes, we do. Our funded kinder program is delivered in our age appropriate rooms by a qualified Early Childhood Teacher.

10. Do educators & teachers need to be qualified to work in the rooms?

Yes – they are qualified with one or more of the following:

• Certificate III in children’s services
• Diploma in children’s services
• Degree qualified as an Early Childhood Teacher

11. Have the educators had background checks?

Yes – all educators must hold a current working with children check & also have undergone and hold a current police check.

12. Can I reduce/increase my days after care has started?

We ask for four weeks notice in writing for any changes to your child’s booked days. Your request will be placed on an internal waitlist and offered to you as soon as we have availability to accommodate your request.

13. I registered via the website but I haven’t received an offer for care – why is that?

Should you require your child’s care to commence as soon as possible (within 3-4 weeks), please rest assured that we will review your request and if, based on our availability, we can offer your child a place, we will get back to you within 5-7 business days. If we are currently unable to offer your child a place, your child’s registration will remain on our waitlist.

Should your request for care be to commence in a month’s time or later, your child’s place will remain on the waitlist and we will contact you closer to your child’s requested commencement date to discuss your child’s offer of formal enrolment, subject to availability.

14. What happens if my child’s booked day falls on a Public Holiday?

We are closed on public holidays. You will still be charged for that booked day if it falls on a PH. The reason for this is that our educators are employed on a permanent/full time basis in order to ensure consistency of educators in each of our rooms to support the development of bonds and relationships – these educators are still paid for this day that they would have otherwise been working. If your child was due to attend on a day that falls on a public holiday, it will be counted as an absence and you will still be subject to receiving the Childcare Subsidy so that you only need to pay the gap – see here for more information if your child is absent from care.

15. How do I get the childcare subsidy?

You can apply for the childcare subsidy by making a claim for Childcare Subsidy in your MyGov account.

How much you can get depends on:

Your combined family income

Your family income	Child Care Subsidy percentage
$0 to $69,390	85%
More than $69,390 to below $174,390	Between 85% and 50% The percentage goes down by 1% for every $3,000 of income your family earns
$174,390 to below $253,680	50%
$253,680 to below $343,680	Between 50% and 20% The percentage goes down by 1% for every $3,000 of income your family earns
$343,680 to below $353,680	20%
$353,680 or more	0%

The activity (hours of work/study) you’re engaged in

Your activity level affects your subsidised care for Child Care Subsidy (CCS).

In response to coronavirus (COVID-19), Services Australia has eased the activity test for CCS. This means, between 13 July 2020 and 4 April 2021, you may get extra CCS hours if COVID-19 has affected you.

Your activity level is based on the hours of recognised activities you participate in. Services Australia will use your activity level to work out the number of hours of subsidised child care you can get each fortnight.

If you have a partner, Services Australia will look at both of your activity levels and use the lower of your or your partner’s activity level to work out your hours of subsidised care.

The hours of subsidised child care you can access per fortnight applies to each child.

There are 4 activity levels:

Activity level each fortnight	Hours of subsidised care each fortnight
Less than 8 hours	0 hours if you earn above $69,390 24 hours if you earn $69,390 or below
More than 8 to 16 hours	36 hours
More than 16 to 48 hours	72 hours
More than 48 hours	100 hours

You can access up to 36 hours of subsidised child care per fortnight if your only activity is either:

• volunteering
• actively looking for work.

To access this amount you must spend a minimum of 8 hours each fortnight doing the activity.

Other activities

If you’re getting Carer Allowance you’ll be able to access 72 hours of subsidised child care per fortnight.

If you have mutual obligation requirements, you can access 36 hours of subsidised care per fortnight. You must also be getting 1 of these payments:

• JobSeeker Payment
• Parenting Payment
• Special Benefit.

If you have a partner, Services Australia will look at both of your activity levels. They’ll use the lower of your or your partner’s activity level to work out your subsidised hours. This applies even if 1 of you has an exemption.

The type of care you’re using – Centre Based, Long Day Care

Your Child Care Subsidy percentage will apply to the lowest of either the hourly:

• rate cap
• fee you’re charged by your child care service.

Hourly rate cap

There’s a different hourly rate cap depending on the type of approved child care you use.

Type of child care	Hourly rate cap
Centre Based Day Care – long day care and occasional care	$12.74

Hourly fee

The hourly fee is the amount your child care service charges you for each hour of care. If your service charges a daily session rate, divide this by the number of hours in the session. At Hadfield ELC, our sessions of care are 12 hours long – even if your child doesn’t attend for the full 12 hours.

Who is eligible for the Childcare Subsidy?

You need to meet some requirements to get Child Care Subsidy.

Services Australia pay the Childcare subsidy directly to your child care provider to reduce the fees you pay.

You may be eligible if you or your partner meet all of the following:

• care for your child at least 2 nights per fortnight, or have 14% care
• are liable for fees for care provided at an approved child care service
• meet the residency rules.

Your child must also meet both of these:

• immunisation requirements
• not be attending secondary school unless an exemption applies.

16. How is the curriculum developed?

The development of our program/curriculum is based on the National Quality Standards & Framework – and the Early Years Framework which guides our practice for programming.

17. How do find out about my child’s activity while at Hadfield ELC, like what they’ve eaten, etc.?

With each family’s permission, we use a program called Kinder M8 – this is an application that can be logged into via your desktop or mobile device and is our main communication channel for communication with families about daily information relating to your child.

18. Who can drop off/pick up my child from Hadfield ELC?

Only those people that are nominated in your child’s enrolment form. These authorised people will need to sign your child in and out using a digital Kiosk that can be accessed from an iPad inside your child’s room.

19. Do you cater for children that observe a vegetarian diet?

Yes – our menu is adapted each and everyday to accommodate children with a preference for vegetarian food. We are a nut-free and egg-free centre. Please click here to see a sample of our seasonal menu.

20. Can I bring my child’s favourite food into the centre?

No – we have a strict policy that prohibits bringing food into the centre, so that we can avoid cross-contamination and compromising children with allergies.

21. Do you have a holiday fee if my family goes on holidays?

No.

22. How does orientation work?

Orientations at Hadfield ELC are free of charge and are scheduled upon completion of your child’s online enrolment after your child has been offered a place. We ask parents to bring children in for a minimum of 2, 2-hour sessions prior to the commencement of care at Hadfield ELC. Parents are required to remain on the premises during the orientation sessions. If more sessions are required to help your child settle, this is definitely an option that is available to you. For more information, click here

23. What if I need to cease my child’s care at Hadfield ELC?

We understand that changes in circumstances happen all the time for families. We ask that you provide written notice via email to our centre manager, four weeks prior to the day you intend to be your child’s last booked day with us. If you are receiving the childcare subsidy, you must also remember that it’s imperative for your child to attend their last booked day at Hadfield ELC to avoid being charged cessation of care by the Australian government – this is part of the conditions of receiving the childcare subsidy.