Creative Class Pattern
How we select the best Educators
- Through proper screening and comprehensive recruitment process
- Short listing applications specifically targeted to the selection criteria
- Verbal interview + Assessment tasks to assess the suitability of applicants.
- Complete referee checks (minimum 2 referees required)for recommended applicant
- We carefully check the applicant’s home to meet all safety standards. These safety checks are updated quarterly and as when required.
- Proper reference checks are done
- Successful applicants attend a full orientation program about do’s and don’ts in Family Day Care
- All Educators acquire current Working with Children Check and Police Check
- All adult occupants (18years and over)or regular visitors to home have Working With Children Check (V).
- All Educators have First Aid, Asthma and Anaphylaxis qualifications before they start.
- CPR and Epi-pen training are updated every year
- All Educators are qualified with cert III qualification in children services and most of them are either working towards Diploma qualification or are already Diploma qualified educators in early childhood education and care.
How the Family selects Educator that suits their child's needs:
In family day care families meet with staff at the coordination unit and are required to give information about their child and their care needs including any particular needs or interests they and their child may have, enabling the coordination unit to determine which educators may best suit the family needs. Interviews are then arranged for the families to meet prospective educators in their homes so they are able to decide which educator and family day care setting they would prefer for their child.
Discussion points with educator:
- Educators planning/programming,
- Play areas (indoor, outdoor)
- Sleep areas/bedding/Cot
- Usual routines – Child’s
- Fears and attachment of child
- Behaviour Guidance
- Use of Television
- Early Learning play sessions
- Activities provided
- Medical/special needs/allergies
- Pets, guidelines
- Other members of the house
- Hours of care required
- Emergency Phone Numbers & Parent Work Phone Numbers
- Fee, structure
- Timesheets/Attendance Records
- Public Holidays
- Holidays – Educators and families
- School holiday care
- Sick children in care
- Food requirements
- Any cultural or religious considerations
- Delivery/collection of child
- Transportation Equipment – e.g. car seat
- Usual outings undertaken school, kinder
- Regular excursion
Making Your Decision
Because families want to choose the best for their child, they are encouraged to talk about their child’s needs, interests & strengths with the Educator in detail. The decision to go ahead with Family Day Care is finally taken by the families. After they have met the Educator, they should reflect and think about how comfortable they felt and how their child interacted with the Educator, and the other children in the Educator’s house.
How Children are placed in Love and Learning Family Day Care
- All placements are arranged through the Family Day Care Coordination unit.
- Request for care applications are first taken over the phone. Contact the Family Day Care Co-ordination Unit: Telephone 99743681.
- Co-ordination Unit responds to the application within five working days.
- Names and telephone numbers of Educators who have vacancies and who we think best suit the family’s needs are supplied to the family.
- We strongly advise families to interview all of the Educators suggested before making their final decision.
- When the family has decided on an Educator they need to make an appointment to complete all the paperwork required at the Family Day Care main Office.
- Starting Care: Before starting care child’s enrolment and family agreement (along with fee schedule) form would be signed at the main office.
Equal Opportunity principles will be observed in relation to access to the Service for children, families and educators/staff. Children who are enrolled at the Service or whose families are seeking a place at the Service will be given Priority of Access in accordance with the guidelines that have been established by the Department of Family and Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.
Below are the Priority of Access levels which the Service must follow when filling vacancies.
- A child at risk of serious abuse of neglect.
- A child of a single parent/guardian who satisfies, or of parents/guardians who both satisfy the work/training/study test under Section 14 of the Family Assistance Legislation Amendment (Child Care) Act 2010.
- Any other child.
Preparing for Care
Families are requested to be comfortable and confident about the care situation, this will help the child settle into care promptly.
Settling your Child into Care
- Settling children into care can be emotional for both children and families.
- Short periods of care are recommended before a child experiences a full day.
- The time can depend on the age and personality of the child and whether or not the child has been in child care before. Gradual settlement in care is suggested as the child becomes slowly familiar with his/her new environment.
- Explaining about Family Day Care to the child is essential as they should understand about the people around them and what variety of things they would do, eat, sleep, time to be picked up etc
- If families are experiencing difficulties, please ask for qualified coordinators who can further assist them in deciding the course of action
Establishing a Relationship with Your child's Educator
During the first few weeks in care families are encouraged to get familiar with the Educator and the environment. To help this relationship grow, spending time with the Educator and knowing how your child is settling down in care is essential. Discuss any problems that have come up promptly and make a few minutes available at the beginning of each day’s care to let the Educator know about anything that may affect your child’s day –e.g. what time he/she woke and/or had his/her first bottle, if he/she had a disturbed night. Your Educator, will endeavour to do the same for you.
How do I find a local child care and early learning service?
You may already know of child care services in your local area.
With the Find a Child Care Service and A-Z search function you can search for approved child care services such as Long Day Care, Family Day Care, In Home Care and Outside School Hours Care. You can also find a range of information about the child care services such as fees, services offered, vacancies, contact details and map locations.
We suggest contacting the service directly to confirm the service’s information including fees and vacancies and to arrange a time to visit the child care service to ensure it meets your needs.
Note: If you are eligible for CCB at zero rate or more you will be automatically assessed for CCR by the Department of Human Services (DHS).
How do I find the fees for different types of care?
Some child care services advise the department of their standard fees and these are displayed on MyChild website. To find the fees for services in your local area, please use the search options on this site.
You can search by care type and postcode or suburb, or alphabetically via our A-Z search page.
I live in rural/remote Australia. How can I access child care?
Have a look at the MyChild website at www.mychild.gov.au which provides information on over 15,000CCB approved services.
To locate In Home Care services or a Family Day Care scheme operating in your area, try the Child Care Search. For additional information see – What are my child care options?
You can type in your postcode or suburb and bring up a list and map of all services in the area. You can also contact the Child Care Access Hotline on 1800 670 305.
What assistance can I get to help pay for the cost of child care?
The Australian Government provides financial assistance to eligible families to help cover the cost of child care.
The main types of financial assistance families may be eligible for are:
- Child Care Benefit
- Child Care Rebate
- Jobs, Education and Training Child Care Fee Assistance
- Grandparent Child Care Benefit
- Special Child Care Benefit
How do I lodge a complaint about my child’s service?
Please contact the Regulatory Authority in your state or territory. Contact details can be found on the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority Regulatory Authorities page.
Where can I find more information about the National Quality Framework and National Quality Standards?
Information about the National Quality Framework and National Quality Standard is available on theAustralian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority website.
More information on choosing a quality child care service can be found in the Child Care Fact Sheets.
Child care fact sheets 2013 – 2014
The Information for families using child care fact sheet kit for 2013-2014 provides you with information about a range of Australian Government services and programmes designed to support families including the Child Care Benefit (CCB), the Child Care Rebate (CCR), Jobs, Education and Training Child Care Fee Assistance (JETCCFA), Child Care Services Support Programme, and Child Care Access Hotline.
Please go on below link to access the fact sheets
www.mychild.gov.au/sites/mychild/childcare-information/pages/fact-sheets
Reference from: www.mychild.gov.au/sites/mychild