Subsidies & Frequently Asked Questions

*These amounts are correct as of July 2024. Please refer to Services Australia for up to date information.

Exemptions to the ‘Activity Test’ 

There are some exemptions to the activity test.

1. Universal Access: 4 -year-old Preschool programs. 
   If a child attends an early educational program at a childcare centre in the year that is 2 years before Grade 1 of school (ie a preschool or kindergarten program), they are entitled to up to 36 hours of care per fortnight, irrespective of their parent’s activity
   
2. Low-Income Families. 
   If a family earns less than $80,000 with no activity, then they are entitled to 24 hours per fortnight.
   
3. Individuals on Income Support
   Will automatically qualify for 36 hours of activity per fortnight, plus any other recognised activity (e.g. volunteering, studying etc)
4. Individuals receiving Carer’s Allowance
   Will automatically qualify for the higher of:

• 72 hours of activity per fortnight, or
• The actual time spent caring plus any other form of recognised activity

4. The number of children in your care

Your Child Care Subsidy (CCS) may increase if you have more than one child aged 5 or younger in care. Families with multiple children in this age group can receive a higher subsidy for the younger children while the eldest eligible child receives the standard subsidy rate. This higher rate applies if your family’s combined income is under a certain threshold. In Home Care does not qualify for this higher rate as it is subsidised per family. Check with Services Australia for more information.

Subsidy Related Questions

How can I get the most out of the CCS?

To discuss your individual circumstances and how they relate to your CCS entitlements, please contact our friendly team on 03 8595 7939. They will be able to assist you with any questions or concerns you may have.

What determines my level of childcare subsidy?

The subsidy you’re entitled to will depend on your individual circumstances. Your CCS is calculated using four components:

1. Your family’s income
2. The hourly rate cap based on the type of approved child care you use and your child’s age
3. The hours of activity you and your partner do
4. The number of children in your care.

You can estimate your likely out-of-pocket costs using this simple Child Care Subsidy Calculator.

How much does Centrelink pay per child?

Again, this depends on your circumstances, including your family income, your level of activity and your chosen child care provider’s hourly rate. To discuss your individual circumstances and how they relate to your CCS entitlements, please contact our team on 03 8595 7939. They will be able to assist you with any questions or concerns you may have.

Why does the government provide subsidies for childcare?

The government provides financial assistance to families to help cover the cost of childcare. This eases out-of-pocket costs depending on a family's income, allows parents to return to work, and allows children to be exposed to high-quality early childhood care and education, which has many proven benefits for child development.

The Child Care Subsidy provides higher financial support to families who earn the least, making returning to work less financially difficult. More importantly, this initiative gives your child an opportunity to take advantage of the benefits of an early childhood education. Family life is busy—in between juggling work and family life, there’s not a lot of time left to catch up on legislative changes, so we’ve outlined them for you.

The system is income and ‘activity-based’, giving families access to either 36, 72, or 100 hours of subsidised care per fortnight, based on the hours of combined work, training or study undertaken.

How do I claim the CCS?

The easiest way to decide how to make a claim is by visiting the Services Australia website.

Am I eligible for the CCS?

To get a Child Care Subsidy (CCS) you must:

• Care for a child 13 or younger who’s not attending secondary school, unless an exemption applies
• Use an approved childcare service
• Be responsible for paying the childcare fees
• Meet residency and immunisation requirements.

How much am I entitled to claim through the CCS?

This will depend on your individual circumstances. You can estimate your likely out-of-pocket costs using this simple Child Care Subsidy Calculator.

General Frequently Asked Questions

How much do your programs cost?

As each family’s ability to claim government rebates and the child care subsidy depends on their unique circumstances, we recommend that you call one of our family support team members to discuss fees directly to get a true estimate of your costs. You will be very surprised at how economically flexible our care actually is. 

How can I enrol at your kindergarten?

Families are encouraged to discuss their unique circumstances with our customer service team. While many families will be eligible for the Child Care Subsidy, additional Kindergarten support, such as Early Start Kindergarten, may also apply. 

Do I need to pack nappies?

In order to keep our fees as low as possible and to allow for differing needs, wants, and budgets, nappies, teething gels, bottles/ formula, and sensitive skin sun cream are self-catered. However, wipes and barrier creams, bibs, washers, and the like are provided. Please talk to your centre director should you wish to provide a particular brand suited to your child.

What food and drinks should I pack?

It is recommended that you serve nutritious food that you would normally serve at home in quantities sufficient for the length of your child’s time at Kindoo! Food can be reheated if required. 

Drinks should consist of water in a closed sippy cup or bottle. Please don’t pack juices, cordials or other sugary drinks. These can be treats served at home. 

Milk bottles and care

Should your baby be breastfed, please provide a bottle with a teat that your baby will tolerate. The amount you provide depends on how much you wish to feed your child during the day. You are welcome to express milk for your baby or provide a made-up bottle of your baby’s formula. Bottles will be stored in the fridge until required and then heated to the recommended temperature prior to consumption. 

Do I need to pack a hat and sunscreen?

Kindoo is a SunSmart-accredited Centre. We follow SunSmart’s policies to help protect children’s skin from damaging UV rays. One such measure is the application of sunscreen 30 minutes before outdoor play, as well as the use of hats.

Kindoo always has SPF50+ Cancer Council sunscreen on hand. If your child does not tolerate this sunscreen, we welcome your choice to provide an alternative that better suits your child. 

Hats should be legionnaire or bucket-style to afford the greatest amount of protection. They are worn when we are outside from late September to late April (i.e., when daily UV rates exceed 3). 

What clothes are appropriate?

Kids' play is often messy, so we recommend children attend Kindoo in ‘everyday’ clothes. We try our hardest to ensure that the children are provided with art smocks and the like when using paints and glues, but we cannot guarantee that they will always be effective!

How do I pay my childcare fees?

Kindoo invoices parents each Monday weekly for the care provided for the previous week. Parent credit cards or bank accounts are then debited the following Friday after all subsidies such as childcare subsidies, have been deducted.

How and when should I apply for the Child Care Subsidy (CCS)?

Applications for the Federal Government’s Child Care Subsidy (CCS) and Additional Child Care Subsidy (ACCS) can be made online via your MyGov Centrelink or Express Plus apps. 

As Centrelink may take some time to process your application, we recommend starting this process before your first booking. While Centrelink will backpay any eligible CCS for up to 28 days, you should note that full fees will be payable until the approval is issued. Any CCS received by Kindoo will be immediately applied to your Kindoo account. Please feel free to request a copy of our Fees Policy or speak to a team member should you need additional information.

What is your digital usage policy?

Digital usage is a part of everyday life for people of all ages. At Kindoo, as part of our STEM learning and curriculum program, we may use tablets and the internet in general to access age-appropriate digital media and content. An example of this is the Government’s ELLA (Early Learning Languages Australia) app, which assists us with teaching foreign languages. 

The use of digital media will be guided by our Educators and is only for educational use, not entertainment.

We believe supervised access to a range of age-appropriate learning-based apps and other media will aid your child and provide valuable experience in the lead-up to primary school. At no time will your child be provided with inappropriate content or other digital media that is not learning-based or educational. 

If you require further information, please contact our team to access a copy of our Digital Media Policy.

How do I stop my child from getting sick at childcare?

Unfortunately, young children often pick up colds, coughs and other viruses when in childcare. This is due to their underdeveloped immune systems and, unfortunately, mostly unavoidable. 

At Kindoo, we regularly disinfect high-contact areas such as tables, chairs, doors, windows, and especially toys. When combined with regular hand washing and only allowing well-behaved children into care, we minimise child care-related sickness as much as we can. 

How do you calculate my out-of-pocket fees?

Out-of-pocket or gap fees are the fees families pay after any eligible Child Care Subsidy has been deducted. While the formula will depend on your unique circumstances, an approximation can be calculated by taking your session fee and deducting your Child Care Subsidy percentage. Don’t forget to add back in any withholding amounts.

For example, Sally attends Kindoo for a Monday core session. Her sessional fee is $85 less the family’s Child Care Subsidy % of 85%, plus 5% withholding. $85 x (100% -85% +5%) = $17 out of pocket each week.

Is other financial support available?

The government provides an additional safety net fee for vulnerable families called the Additional Childcare Subsidy. To see if this support is available in your circumstances, please contact Services Australia.

What will my child do on a typical day?

Your child’s care and learning will change daily depending on their age and developmental needs. 

For example, a child attending Kindoo Kindergarten may play with Play-Doh, sing a song, do a show-and-tell, and paint a picture in one day. 

Babies do not have such skills yet, so their activities would be very different. For example, they might consist of activities concentrated on learning to crawl or walk, listening to a story, playing with developmentally appropriate toys such as a mirror or rattle, getting to sleep, and eating. 

These are all skills in themselves and will be dependent on where each child is on the developmental continuum. Our teachers regularly assess the skills required to developmentally extend your little one and program daily and weekly play activities to teach the skills identified.

Why do you run a combined three and four-year-old Kindergarten program?

There is much research that shows that children within mixed age groups benefit more positively from the experience. 

Mixed-age grouping is a preschool model that allows children to be grouped according to different age ranges. The goal is to build confidence in younger children, enhance their language and behavioural skills, and maximise their intellectual potential. 

Meanwhile, older children benefit from multi-age grouping because it allows them to ‘mentor’ younger children, which builds on their sense of responsibility and empathy skills.

How much do sessions cost?

Session prices vary according to length, booking type, and any eligible subsidy that may apply. As each of these varies from family to family, please contact us directly for an estimate based on your family’s individual circumstances. 

How does the Childcare Subsidy work?

The Child Care Subsidy is a payment from the government for the cost of childcare. It is determined by Centrelink based on your family’s income and hours of activity. In order to determine this, you must first submit a claim to Centrelink / Services Australia. 

How often do I need to book?

As adults, we have the skills to move between venues and routines with ease. For young children who don’t yet have these skills, this can be quite difficult. As such, your child must attend Kindoo at least twice a week (23 hours) so that we can develop a secure bond together. Experience and research show us that ad hoc or irregular care is not supportive, especially for very young children. 

What booking types do you have?

At Kindoo, at least two days (23 hrs) of care are booked weekly. This regular care is called a Permanent Booking and carries over from week to week until cancelled. Four weeks of notice is required for cancellation to take effect. 

Once a permanent booking is in place, families will be able to access casual bookings. Casual bookings can be made 24/7 via our booking app up to 24 hours before the session starts. They may be cancelled at no charge up to 24 hours before the session starts. 

Casual bookings can be rolled over from week to week (if you need to cancel) or made on an irregular basis, depending on your needs. Emergency bookings are those made less than 24 hours before a session starts and may not be cancelled. 

How does Kindoo Intro work to support my child?

Kindoo Intro is a group of support structures designed to gradually ease a child into care or kindergarten where their parent is uncertain of their ability to cope with a new environment. It consists of a series of shorter bookings with a dedicated Big Buddy support team member before the child starts their regular, permanent session/s. 

What is a Big Buddy?

To support your child, we allocate a Big Buddy to your family under the Kindoo Intro program. Your Big Buddy acts as a support person for your child on the first few days of care so that your child has a trusted, familiar face to turn to. 

In addition, due to our orientation briefing process, your Big Buddy is intimately aware of your child’s routines, likes, and dislikes and will help ensure that all of these requirements are taken into account from Day One. Your Big Buddy will also help support your family by acting as your dedicated liaison person at Kindoo! 

Does my child have to nap?

If your child is not tired or if you do not wish them to nap during the day, we are happy to encourage and engage them in quiet play as an alternative. 

What is in your curriculum?

Kindoo’s play-based curriculum follows the Early Years Learning Development Framework or EYLDF. As such, all of our teaching focuses on and recognises the importance of communication and language (including early literacy and numeracy) and social and emotional development. Learning is pre-programmed by your child’s Early Childhood Teacher fortnightly. A copy of the planned activities can be seen in your child’s classroom and your teacher would be happy to discuss this with you.

My child has special needs. Can you support him/her?

Kindoo is an inclusive service and whatever additional needs your child may have, they are welcome and embraced first and foremost as a child at Kindoo. Please speak to your centre director to discuss your child’s need for any additional support. 

My child only speaks another language. How will you communicate?

In working with your family, inclusion support experts, and using the marvels of modern technology, Kindoo educators have many avenues to bridge any language and communication gaps. Please discuss your child’s needs with our friendly Centre Directors at enrolment.

How will I know what my child is doing each day?

Staying connected with your child each day is a breeze at Kindoo, and there are many ways to do this. From speaking to your child’s educators, receiving daily photo/video updates, and individual learning observations, to viewing learning plans and our Educator Hotline, you’ll never be short of information on your child’s learning and daily well-being. 

How can I book a casual session?

Casual sessions can be quickly and easily booked 24/7 via the Kindoo! Xplor Home app with just a few clicks.

Does my child need to be immunised to attend Kindoo?

Under the Federal Government ‘No Jab, No Play’ legislation, all children at Kindoo must be immunised or on an authorised immunisation catch-up plan.

What is the difference between Kindoo Kindergarten and my local council/ community kindergarten?

With a degree-qualified teacher in charge of planning and implementing our Kindergarten program under the guidelines of the Early Years Learning Development Framework, there is no difference between Kindoo Kindergarten and those services provided by local councils. 

In fact, with our service being run on a commercial basis, we would go so far as to say the Kindoo Kindergarten is more robust than some other local government services!

What happens if my child has an accident while at Kindoo!?

While we take every precaution to keep the children in our care safe, we all know that accidents can sometimes happen. If your child has a minor accident at Kindoo, you will be notified as soon as possible via the Kindoo! Xplor Home app. If the accident is of a more serious nature, parents are contacted immediately by phone. 

How will you keep my child safe from Covid-19?

There are a number of safety practices in place at Kindoo to protect your child from COVID-19. These include limiting visitors to the centre to only those essential to the continued high functioning of the service, daily disinfection and hygiene practices and the exclusion of all staff and children when unwell. 

Do you have a Covid-Safe plan?

Of course! Please ask your Centre Director for a copy of Kindoo!’s Covid-Safe plan. 

How often will my child go outside?

We aim to have each child participate in outdoor activities twice daily regardless of the weather. This is achievable through our large undercover area at the rear of the centre, which ensures the children remain warm and dry in winter or cool and shaded in summer while still enjoying an outdoor experience. 

What is your centre philosophy?

Our Centre Philosophy is focussed on the inclusion of all children, providing them with meaningful, quality learning opportunities through play. Our philosophy is that all children are competent learners who benefit from being, belonging, and becoming. 

Do you have a play-based curriculum?

Yes! Research shows that children learn best through play. All of our planned, impromptu and intentional teaching activities are delivered via play.