Types of Childcare Available
Types of Childcare
Available
By: Tash
Hughes of Word Constructions
Having
decided your child will go into childcare, you are faced with deciding
on the type of care best suited to your circumstances. Following is
an introductory list to the various childcare options available in many
parts of Australia.
Private Arrangements
This includes care by family and friends, for fees or otherwise,
as well as people who have some children in their home under private
arrangements.
For those with this option, this is often a good
starting point for childcare as both parents and child find it more
familiar. Depending on the arrangements, this can also be the cheapest
option such as when Grandparent care for the child for free.
There is flexibility in times and generally no paperwork,
so it is easy to set up. However, unless the carer registers, you will
not be entitled to any Child Care Benefit (CCB) on any fees charged.
Child Swapping
No, this isn’t some strange pagan ritual!
Child swapping is a cheap and convenient means of
getting some childcare, especially for SAHMs. Basically, you look after
a friend’s child for a particular time and they care for your
child at a different time.
This is a great way to get some time out, go to the
gym or supermarket, a meeting or even work. As long as both friends
are reliable, it works well; you know your child’s carer beforehand
and it is often easier to care for two children of the same age than
one.
It perhaps doesn’t work as well if one child
naps during the allotted time and the other doesn’t.
Family Day Care
Run through local councils, Family Day Care (FDC) involves the care
of young children in private homes by selected carers. Each carer is
limited to four preschoolers at a time and is monitored by Council Staff.
Again, there is flexibility in hours and days (depending
on the carer’s availability) and the home care is personal. Many
carers develop a close relationship with the children and become like
extended family. This is also a fairly cheap option – in Victoria,
it currently costs $3.70 per hour prior to CCB deductions.
Each carer is different and there are often waiting
lists at the council, so it may take a few weeks or months to find a
suitable carer for your needs. Illness or leave by your carer can be
disruptive, but often the council will find a substitute carer for the
period.
Most councils also run playgroups for carers to attend
so that the children experience larger groups as well.
Nanny/Au Pair
Although this is not the cheapest option, it has a lot of appeal in
some cases. For multiple children, it does become less expensive per
child and thus of more interest to some parents.
There is the convenience of not having to pack up
the children and take them anywhere else as the Nanny comes to you –
an au pair is even more convenient as she lives with you. The children
remain in a comfortable environment and have the same sort of individual
care they would have with a parent at home.
It is particularly useful for parents with unusual
working hours or special requirements. Au pairs and some Nannies may
also do other chores during the day for you.
Depending on how you organise things, however, you
will also need to take into account holidays, superannuation, liability
and sick leave.
Occasional Care
Genuine occasional care is a short-term arrangement where a number of
children are cared for in one centre by a number of staff. Different
regulations apply to different locations and age groups, but all centres
need to be assessed and monitored by the Department of Humans Services
(DHS.)
Occasional care can be found at gyms, shopping centres,
neighbourhood houses/community centres and independent organizations.
Prices, hours, inclusions and so forth can vary widely between centres
so it can pay to look around.
Despite the term “occasional”, many such
centres require bookings and regular usage (eg book for a term at a
time) whilst some require a booking up to a week in advance. All centres
with booking systems are likely to expect payment whether or not the
child attended a booked session. There are some occasional care centres
without bookings that are true to the term “occasional.”
Some full day centres offer “occasional care”
where they will take non-regular children during absences.
One advantage to centre based care is that illness
by the carer is unlikely to prevent the centre being available to you
as per usual. It is also valuable for children needing more social interactions
and can provide more experiences and activities than would be experienced
in many homes.
Full day Centre
There are now many childcare centres around Australia. Whether your
child is booked in for one or five days, it is usually for the whole
day. This is a professional arrangement and these centres are businesses.
Centres are divided into rooms by age of the child, and staff ratios
vary between the rooms.
These centres will provide meals and nappies for
the time the child is in care, as well as supervision and comprehensive
programs. Some centres have outside parties come in to teach various
activities, so it is up to the parents to decide whether this is an
important factor for them.
As for occasional care centres, there are the advantages
of fewer disruptions by staff illness but there are disadvantages of
staff leaving and changing. The children get to play with a number of
other children and experience different activities.
Holidays
If your child is in care and you take holidays, what happens? In most
cases, you will still have to pay for the care in order to reserve your
spot for after the holidays. This would not apply to some private or
child swapping arrangements, nor in genuine occasional care.
Most childcare arrangements will continue during
school holidays, but some small community centres may not.
School aged children can be cared for in a number
of school holiday programs run through schools, recreation centres and
various community centres.
Tash Hughes is a Melbourne mother of two. She is the owner of Word Constructions www.wordconstructions.com.au and assists businesses in preparing all written documentation and web site content. Tash also writes parenting and business articles for inclusion in magazines, newsletter and web sites.
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