Fees and rebates

FAQs

• Child Care Subsidy (CCS)

  CCS is a payment from the Government that will provide financial assistance towards the cost of your child’s care and reduce the cost of your total child care fees. It is available to you if you are a parent, foster parent or grandparent with a child in your care who is attending a child care program approved by the Government.
  There are certain requirements you need to meet to be eligible for CCS. Until your CCS has been approved and has commenced, we will require full payment of your child’s early learning and care fees.

  What should I know about the new Child Care Subsidy?

  There are three key factors that will determine how much Child Care Subsidy families may receive:

  • The combined family income – how much families earn
  • Your fortnightly family activity level – how much families work, train, study or volunteer
  • The fees charged by the child care service

  Click here to use our child care subsidy estimator.

• Entitlements when your child is absent

  Initial Absence Days

  Like most early learning centres and preschools, your child’s place is reserved when they are away so the day still needs to be paid for. Each financial year, the Family Assistance Office will pay your child’s CCS entitlements for the first 42 absence days. These absences can be for any reason, and the initial 42 days must be used before any additional absences can be claimed (please see below).

  Additional Absence Days

  You may receive CCS for absence days after the initial 42 days each financial year. For all absences beyond the first 42 absent days, CCS will only be paid if you are able to provide evidence to demonstrate the absence has occurred under permitted circumstances. There is no limit on these days, but you will be required to provide documentation to support the absence.

  Exceptional Absence Days

  You may receive CCS for an additional 20 exceptional absence days after the initial 42 absence days per financial year. These entitlements can be claimed without evidence if documentation is provided for 31 of the initial 42 absence days.

• Public holidays

  We don’t charge for public holidays and they don’t count towards your 42 absences each year. 

• Holidays

  Normal fees apply for all absences (excluding Public Holidays) that fall on a usual day of attendance unless the family provides written notice two weeks in advance to apply the holiday discount on the full fee. Holiday discount is available for up to four weeks of care per financial year. Under exceptional circumstances, holiday discount may be applied outside these requirements at the discretion of the Centre Director. Fee payments must be up to date to receive holiday discount. 

• Withdrawal from care

  Families provide two week’s written notice to cancel your child’s booked attendance at Goodstart. The two weeks’ advance payment we hold will be applied to your notice period. If your child does not attend their last usual days, full fees will apply. This means that CCS will not be applied. 

• Changes to your child’s regular booked days

  We will do everything possible to support the changing needs of families and their children. Two weeks’ written notice is required to change or cancel your child’s regular booked days of attendance. If your child does not attend their last sessions of care, you will be charged full fees for the days they are absent.

  Swap days

  If you would like to swap your child’s regular days, and the alternative days you want are available in the same week, this can be offered at your Centre Director’s discretion. We will notify you during the week prior if we are able to accommodate your request, as vacancies cannot be confirmed until this time. If your child does not attend on the requested alternative days, or if the requested alternative days are not available and your child does not attend on their regular days, your usual charges will apply for the absence.

  Additional days

  Additional days can be requested at any time and taken immediately if available. If unavailable, your request for additional days can be added to your centre’s waiting list.