Enrolment, Fees and Child Care Benefit Policy

Aims:

• To provide information to parents about what to expect when their child starts childcare to help alleviate any concerns that they may have.
• To provide information to parents about the enrolment procedure, fees and Child Care Benefit (CCB) to help them understand how to take care of the financial side of childcare.
• To ensure the enrolment and orientation process goes smoothly for the child, parents and centre staff.

Implementation:

Waiting List
Parents can place their child's name on our waiting list by completing a Waiting List Registration Form. This form can be downloaded from our website or emailed/posted to you. A $50 non-refundable administration fee is payable for all families wishing to place their child's name on the list.   N.B. this does not guarantee your child a position at the centre.

Child Enrolment
If a child has any special needs, medical condition or acute allergy the child's enrolment details will be passed on to our Centre Operations Manager who will endeavour to accommodate the child's specific needs within the centre.

Once a place for your child has become available to you at the centre, we will formally offer you a position at the centre. In accepting this position, parents are asked to pay a security deposit of $500 to secure their child's position. We ask that you pay your security deposit and childcare fees via Direct Debit or Credit Card. On receiving the security deposit, an enrolment package is forwarded to the parents to complete before their child's first day of care.
Enrolment packages include:
               • Child Enrolment Form and Personal History Record       • Parent Handbook        • Child Personal Profile

Enrolment is accepted once all forms are fully completed and returned within the specified timeframe. Children's details are then passed on to the Centre Manager and room staff to ensure they are expecting the child on their first day of care.

Change of Days
If parents wish to change, increase or decrease the days their child attends care, they can contact the Centre Manager.
Parents are required to provide 20 working days notice to decrease days. Any other changes can be made in a timeframe agreed upon by the administration staff (subject to availability). We do our best to accommodate all parents' childcare needs.

Cancellation of Care
When parents enrol with us they are required to pay a security. This deposit is held separately from fees to secure that position throughout their time in our care. The deposit is refunded to parents when their child is withdrawn from the centre. Twenty (20) billing days notice in writing is required when withdrawing a child from care.

Priority of Access
We follow the priority of access guidelines defined by the Family Assistance Office. Refer: Department of Community Services Private Operators Long Day Care Handbook.

Fees, charges and invoicing relative to Chatswood Centre (as from 1st January 2012)
All inclusive* daily fees, payable two weeks in advance via Direct Debit or Credit Card, are as follows;

Starfish room for approx. 0-1 year olds $113 per day
Fairy Penguins room for approx. 2-3 year olds $98 per day
Dolphins room for approx. 4-5 year olds $90 per day.        A sibling discount of 10% applies for a second and third child.

*Daily fees include; all meals, nappies and formula (selected brands only – refer to Meals Section of website). The only additional charge is a one-off fee for the pre-school pack which contains a hat, a water bottle, a sheet set and a draw string bag. This is compulsory and costs $60.

Child Care Benefi t (CCB) will be available to all families. Please note: all parents are entitled to some type of childcare benefit. On your child's first day, you will be provided with the centre's Childcare Provider Number to allow you to claim CCB as a fee reduction or as a lump sum claim at the end of the financial year. If you wish to claim CCB or require further information please contact all the Family Assistance Offi ce (FAO) on 13 61 50. To claim CCB you must register with the FAO and receive a Customer Reference Number (CRN).

Parents are informed of daily fees when enrolling their child into care. Fees are charged according to the child's room. Parents are advised in writing of any changes to fee charges. Fees are payable for Public Holidays and absences - just like any school fees, fees must be paid for every day that a child is enrolled, including public holidays, and when a child is sick or on holidays. A full daily fee is charged regardless of the number of hours your child attends. Fees are required to be paid by direct debit from a nominated bank account or by credit card. Direct Debit or Credit Card Authorisation Forms are to be completed upon enrolment to ensure billing can be taken care of in the most efficient way with a minimum of effort on parents' behalf.

Invoiced fees are debited from a nominated bank account or credit card plus any outstanding balance including additional casual days taken, previous debit declines (plus dishonour fees) and CCB adjustments. Parents are asked to keep the centre updated with current details and authorities to allow fees to be processed. The centre reserves the right to terminate a child's position at the centre if parents fail to pay childcare fees. Dishonour fees are charged if there are insufficient funds to cover childcare fees or if credit cards are rejected by the bank. Parents are asked to contact the administration team if they have any enquiries or queries about their account
Any queries in relation to billing are to be directed to the Centre Manager.  Fees are payable 2 weeks in advance. .

Child Care Benefit (CCB)
The Federal Government provides funding via the Family Assistance Office (FAO) for all Australian residents' children using childcare. This funding, known as the Child Care Benefit (CCB), can be claimed either as a reduction in the daily fee that you pay to the centre or as a lump sum at the end of each financial year.
Parents wishing to claim the CCB as a fee reduction must register with the FAO. Once registered, the FAO will send the centre a letter authorising the centre to reduce your fees. The exact amount of the fee reduction is means tested and will depend on your family income level.
If parents choose to claim their entitlement from the Government at the end of the financial year in lieu of an ongoing fee reduction, they must apply for a Customer Reference Number (CRN) from the FAO. It is the parents' responsibility to ensure our administration office has the details of your FAO reference number. This CRN uniquely identifies each child and will allow reconciliation of each child's usage of care when parents complete income tax returns at the end of the year.
The centre submits quarterly reports to the FAO for the centre, detailing every child's usage details. Invoices issued by the centre detail the days for which parents are entitled to funding and the amount of CCB funding being provided. Parents are advised to keep invoices/receipts for tax purposes.

Child Care Benefit Overview

Parents' Obligations when Claiming CCB
Parents must inform the FAO as their circumstances change to ensure the funding they receive (either as a fee reduction or as a lump sum) is correct. If for any reason a parent receives more than they are entitled to, the FAO will require repayment of the excess. Conversely, if parents do not receive everything they are entitled to during the year, they will be paid any owed amounts.

Absences
In certain circumstances parents are entitled to the CCB on days when their child is absent from care.
These circumstances are:
• the child would normally have attended on that day, and   • parents were billed for that day and paid the childcare fee for that day.

Each child is entitled to 30 Allowable Absence days (referred to by the FAO as Allowable Absences) each financial year and still claim CCB for these days. Once a child has been absent for more than 30 Allowable Absences (across all childcare centres you may use) parents will no longer be entitled to CCB for any additional absences without providing a documented reason. Allowable Absence days can be taken for any reason.

In addition to the 30 Allowable Absence days CCB is also payable for absences taken for the following reasons:
          • illness (with a medical certificate)
          • non-immunisation
          • rostered days off
          • rotating shift work
          • temporary closure of a school or pupil free days
          • public holidays
          • periods of local emergency
          • court-ordered shared custody
          • attendance at preschool
These absence days are called ‘Approved Absence Days'. Supporting documentation must be provided if parents wish to claim CCB for an approved absent day
.
Parents' Responsibilities
Whether claiming CCB as a fee reduction or a lump sum, it is each parent's responsibility to ensure that:
          • they only receive the CCB they are entitled to
          • they have provided appropriate supporting documentation for Approved Absence Days
          • they only receive the CCB when they have correctly signed in and out of the centre each day

Any CCB received by the centre that has been applied to a child's fees and was more than the parent was entitled to will be recovered from parents. Should an FAO audit of centre records reveal that parents have not signed in and out of the centre correctly on days when the child attended, parents will be required to repay any funding received for these days. It is strongly recommended that parents maintain a diary or some other record of their child's attendance at the centre and any other form of childcare used.

Receipts
The invoice that parents receive from the centre details payments made during the previous month and therefore also acts as a receipt. This invoice/receipt will itemise the child's attendance for the period, the amount of Child Care Benefit (CCB) that the parent has claimed and the number of Allowable Absences used for the financial year to date.
It is the parents' responsibility to ensure that the CCB they claim is correct and that the child has not been absent from care for more than the allowable number of days.

Procedure of following up fee declines
Fees are currently paid fortnightly in advance on a Monday via Direct Debit or Credit Card. Parents must ensure Direct Debit or Credit Card details are provided and maintained including up to date details e.g. current expiry date. A dishonour fee will be charged if insufficient funds are in the bank account when fees are processed or if the credit card is rejected by the bank.

Fee declines will be followed up immediately. If fees are not paid before the $500 holding deposit is used to cover fees, your child's position at the centre will be withdrawn. The daily fee is payable for each day in which your child is enrolled and is payable for the reservation of the place, not the attendance of the child. Fees are payable for public holidays which fall on days my child is enrolled as well as days in which your child is unwell or not attending the centre.

Parents must give 20 working days written notice of their intention to withdraw their child from the centre or otherwise alter the child's days of attendance (not including the Christmas closure period). Should families give less than 20 working days written notice, parents are still obliged to pay an amount equivalent to 20 working days of childcare fees.
Fees charged may change during the time in which your child is enrolled in care. Sibling discount is only available to families offered this at the time of enrolment.