Frequently Asked Questions
Our services are open from 7am to 6pm Monday to Friday across 50 weeks of the year. We are closed on NSW Public Holidays and two weeks across the Christmas and New Year holiday period.
Kids Direction has an Open Door Policy, inviting families on a tour around the service to see the practices and procedures in action.
No, our service has created flexible sessions to assist families in maximising the use of their CCS benefits as well as providing alternative drop off and pick up times.
Our centre offers six-hour, nine-hour, ten-hour and eleven-hour full day sessions to support families to make the most out of the government’s Child Care Subsidy. They are called ‘flexible’ because they give families the flexibility to choose which hours best suit them.
The centre does not receive any additional revenue for the implementation of flexible session hours. We benefit simply by being able to offer families quality, flexible options and a point of differentiation from other providers.
We understand life doesn’t always go to plan. That is why we have implemented a grace period of 15 minutes before and after for the sessions that are scheduled within the centre’s normal operating hours. If parents opt for a full day then no grace period applies as this is outside of the centre’s normal operating hours. Sessions with specified start and finish times which may incur penalties if care is required outside of these times.
Yes, the minimum requirement of attendance in accordance with our Enrolment Policy is two (2) days.
No, unfortunately we are unable to do this prior to CCS enrolment however; we can provide you with a rough estimate based on our current flexible session choice.
Yes, under the Child Care Subsidy families are allowed 42 absence days per child, per financial year. These 42 allowable absences can be taken for any reason, including public holidays and when children are sick, without the need for families to provide documentation.
No, unfortunately our service does not offer this alternative, parents are paying for the spaces their child is booked in for regardless if they attend or not, our costs don’t change if a child is absent for that day.
The daily fees are inclusive of all six meals provided, sunscreen, nappies, linen, individual/ group programming as well as a school readiness curriculum.
Yes, we provide six nutritious meals daily in accordance with Staying Healthy Australia and Australian Dietary Guidelines. Mealtimes consist of breakfast, morning tea, lunch, dessert, afternoon tea and late snack all offered with a side of filtered water or milk.
Our online parent platform provides live posts of experiences that your child was involved in on a daily basis. You can view live posts of our educational programs, your child’s observations and photographs of their learning journey as well as toileting, sleep and meal updates.
Yes, our service has a School Readiness Program that aims to facilitate the development of children using a wide range of tools, skills and inquiry based learning methods provided by our internal and external specialist teachers and educators, helping to build a solid foundation for future learning based on the Early Years Learning Framework, the Australian National Curriculum.
All employees are required to conduct a NSW ‘Working with Children’s Check’ prior to commencing employment. Our services employ highly qualified educators which include University trained Early Childhood Teachers, Diploma trained, Certificate III trained, traineeships and full time chefs.
Our service prides itself on strict security access measures as well as surveillance cameras with built in senses at each entry and exit points. All families are provided with a token to gain entry in to the service. Educators use active and controlled supervision point methods within the environment to ensure high risk play areas are being monitored and guided.
Our services adheres to the National Regulations educator to child ratios, which enhances the utmost level of service, education and care.
Toddlers 2 – 3 years – National minimum standard = 1:5
Pre-schoolers 3 – 5 years – National minimum standard = 1:10
Our service exceeds National requirements by having two educators open and close the service on a daily basis. Weekly rosters and annual leave is carefully considered to ensure consistency of educators for children and families upon arrival and departures times.
Educators within our service hold current First Aid, Asthma and Anaphylaxis qualifications to effectively manage any incidents, illnesses or emergencies. Educators also actively complete continuous professional development and training to reflect the most current practices and procedures.
Yes, we employ contract cleaners to provide a clean and safe environment for children, families, staff and visitors. The staff are also required to regularly up-keep the environments by tending to their cleaning obligations throughout the day.
The Child Care Subsidy is the main way the Government assists families with their child care fees and replaced the Child Care Benefit (CCB) and Child Care Rebate (CCR) with a single, means-tested subsidy. Kids Direction Early Learning Centre is registered to provide Child Care Subsidy (CCS) to families.
Here are three factors that determine a family’s level of Child Care Subsidy. These are:
- Combined annual family income
- Activity test – the activity level of both parents
- Service type – type of child care service and whether the child attends school
The Child Care Subsidy is generally paid directly to service providers to be passed on to families as a fee reduction. Families make a co-contribution to their child care fees and pay to the provider the difference between the fee charged and the subsidy amount
If families would like to apply for CCS, they must do this directly through the Department of Human Services (Centrelink.) The families will require obtaining a Parent and Child Customer Reference Number (CRN) as soon as practical.
https://www.education.gov.au/child-care-subsidy-0