Fees and information

Centre hours

The centre opens at 7.30am and closes at 6.00pm. The centre is closed for three weeks over the Christmas holiday period and on all public holidays.

All inquiries.

To inquire about the availability of places please email us at carinya@castlemainechildcare.com.au or call us on 03 5472 3665 / 5470 6284 / 0472 698 513.

Fees

Castlemaine Childcare Centre is a not-for-profit centre so all fees go to meeting the costs of the care and education of the children. We aim to provide the highest standard of childcare. Please contact us for our current daily fee. Fees are reviewed annually and new fees set at the beginning of July each year.

Long Day Care accounts are generated fortnightly in advance and must be paid fortnightly or weekly. Accounts will be emailed for preference but may be posted on request.

Payment may be made by:

Direct Debit – complete our CCSS direct debit form – this is preferred.
Eftpos – payable at the office only and will attract a small fee
Set up your own Direct Debit – our bank details are on each invoice.

A family may lose their child’s place if their account has been in arrears for a period longer than four weeks. Our fee policy is explained to parents at the time of enrollment and is included in the Parent Information Handbook.

Public Holidays and Absences.

Fees are charged and payable for all weeks that Carinya is open. Families are charged for all booked days including when or if a booked day falls on a public holiday. Absences, including public holidays absences, are charged the full fee and Child care Subsidy (CCS) applies as per usual. Fees are not charged for our annual shutdown period.

Government subsidies

The Castlemaine Childcare Centre is registered with the Commonwealth for the Child care Subsidy System (CCSS), and Child Care Subsidy (CCS) is available to families to assist with the cost of care. CCS is activity-tested and calculated by Centrelink. The Child Care Subsidy is paid directly to Carinya and family accounts will show the daily fee charged, minus the CCS applied leaving the remaining cost to families. This is the amount that is due and payable on your account.

FAQS:

What is the Child Care Subsidy (CCS)? What do I need to do?

The CCS is an activity-tested benefit which helps parents to meet the costs for approved and registered Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) such as long day care, family day care, outside school hours care and vacation care. If your child is enrolled at Carinya for kindergarten as part of your child’s long day care, you will also be able to access CCS. Further information about the CCS can be found on the www.humanservices.gov.au

You enroll your child with us. We enter your child’s details into our Child Care Subsidy System (CCSS). Families must then access MyGov to confirm the child’s enrollment. After confirming, families will receive an email with the Complying Written Agreement (CWA) and if correct, this must be accepted if you wish to continue and confirm the enrollment. Our CCSS communicates directly with Centrelink and our system will show your family’s eligibility status for CCS. Child Care Subsidy is paid directly to the service. If Child Care Subsidy does not show on your account, you will need to ring Centrelink.

Sometimes the Centrelink CCSS does not apply the family CSS in a timely fashion and it may take longer than a week for this to occur. Please keep up with paying your accounts as and when due. When the CCS is applied, you will be in credit and can adjust future payments accordingly.

Please note: It is vitally important to contact MyGov as soon as possible when first enrolling and to follow up with Centrelink asap if there are any problems, as the subsidy will only be backdated 28 days.

https://www.humanservices.gov.au/individuals/centrelink

Carinya cannot change your CCS details. This is determined by Centrelink and any questions must be directed to Centrelink.

Why do I still need to pay fees when my child does not attend due to the Centre being closed on a public holiday?

This is a standard practice across the childcare sector and is necessary since we still have to pay our staff wages and other operational overheads for public holidays.

Carinya has the wrong CCS percentage rate – how can this be fixed?

Carinya cannot edit the CCS percentage rate. This rate is set and administered by Centrelink – speak to Centrelink if you think your rate is wrong.
When changed rates are applied by Centrelink, your CCS will be adjusted accordingly or you may receive a direct payment from Centrelink.

What events change the percentage value of my CCS?

If families update their combined income estimate/report, this could result in a change in CCS
If another child in the family is added to a service, this could result in a change in CCS