FAQ
1. Enrolments
1. Enrolments
1a) How do I enrol in the Centre?
For instructions on how to enrol at Truscott Street OOSH and to download an enrolment form, please follow the link: Enrolments
1b) My details are the same as last year. Do I need to re-enrol?
Yes, it is important that each family re-enrols each year as it is a requirement to have an up to date enrolment under the National Quality Framework (NQF).
2. Fees
2. Fees
2a) Is there a Membership Fee?
Yes, every family at Truscott Street OOSH is required to pay an annual membership fee when they enrol/re-enrol at the Centre each year.
Please refer to our Fees & Payments page for Membership Fee information.
2b) How much are the Centre Fees?
Please refer to our Fees & Payments page for up to date fee information.
2c) How do I pay my fees?
Please refer to our Payments page for fee payment information.
2d) Can I pay my fees at the Centre with cash or cheques?
No. Truscott Street is a cashless Centre which means that we cannot accept cash or cheques as a form of payment. Please see above for how to pay your fees.
2e) How often do I get billed?
You should receive a statement once a fortnight, from our administration office, Becklyn. Your statement details your usage at the Centre from the past two weeks, and your total amount owing – which will include any missed payments from before the current period .
3. Childcare Payments
3. Child Care Payments
What is the Childcare Subsidy?
The Childcare Subsidy (CCS) commenced on 2nd July 2018 and replaced both the Child Care benefit (CCB) and Child Care Rebate (CCR).
The Government assists eligible families with their childcare fees by making a payment directly to the service (in the form of CCS) that is passed on as a fee reduction (visible on a family’s statement). Families are then required to pay the difference between the fee charged and the subsidy amount – the “GAP”.
Am I eligible for CCS?
The basic requirements that must be satisfied for an individual to be eligible to receive CCS for a child, include:
- The child must be 13 year old or younger and not attending secondary school
- The child must meet immunisation requirements
- The individual, or their partner, must meet the residency requirements
To determine the CCS percentage and number of eligible hours / fortnight you will be entitled to, Centrelink reviews and assesses:
- Family income
- Results of an Activity test – The combined hours of Approved Activity completed each fortnight (ie work, training, study, recognised voluntary work or other recognised activities)
The number of hours the family is entitled to is based on the individual with the lowest activity test results.
- Type of childcare service (OSHC), which determines the hourly rate cap
If you wish to estimate your CCS, please use the CCS Calculator
How do I apply for CCS?
- Make a claim – lodge a Child Care Subsidy Claim via the MyGov website
If you do not have a MyGov account, you can create one using https://my.gov.au/
If you don’t receive confirmation of your CCS Assessment, please contact Centrelink on 136150
How do I claim CCS through the Centre?
- Agree to the Complying Written Agreement – This is also known as enrolling at the Centre via the Portal. PLEASE NOTE: The Guardian on the enrolment MUST be the parent who has been assessed for CCS.
In order for Becklyn (administrators for the OSHC) to make a link with Centrelink, the following information must be provided as part of the enrolment (or shortly after):
- Guardian registered to receive CCS
- This person’s CRN
- This person’s DOB
- Each child’s CRN
- Each child’s DOB
- Becklyn (administrators for the OSHC) will submit a CCS Enrolment Notice to Centrelink, providing the above 5 pieces of information, along with the typical pattern of attendance, fees and session hours.
This will update your child’s CCS Enrolment status to one of the below:
Pending Eligibility
This usually means either:
- You have not completed the CCS application in its entirety, as yet OR
- You have completed the CCS application however Centrelink is still assessing this or it has been cancelled OR
- The CCS Application has been completed under a different name other than your name OR
- You may need to re-apply for CCS with Centrelink as it has been more than 6months since the last attendance. If this is the case, when you log into your MyGov account you should be able to “make a claim” to reapply
ACTION REQUIRED:
- Review and determine the reason for the CCS Status being Pending Eligibility and address this reason.
Received
This means the 5 pieces of information provided at enrolment time or the combinations do not match the Centrelink system.
ACTION REQUIRED:
- Review the 5 pieces of information provided and advise Becklyn of any updates
Pending Confirmation
Enrolment information has been sent to CCS and the 5 pieces of information supplied match the Centrelink system. There is now a requirement to confirm the CCS Enrolment
ACTION REQUIRED:
- Log into your MyGov account
- Select Centrelink
- Click on the Menu (3 bars top left of the screen)
- Expand Child Care
- Select Enrolments – check all your children have an enrolment status of Confirmed. Action any that don’t by clicking on “View Details”, checking the details and confirming these by selecting “Yes”, and “Next”, then accepting the declaration and submitting.
Centrelink will automatically advise CCS % reduction and number of fortnightly hours to the service administrators (+ withholding percentage)
What is a CRN?
A CRN is a ‘Customer Reference Number’ Centrelink uses to identify your personal record. A CRN is a 9 digit number and ends with a letter.
What is a ‘Received’ enrolment?
This means enrolment information has been sent to CCS however there is some information that is either missing or doesn’t match with Centrelink records. This is usually the CRN for the claiming parent or child / DOB.
What happens to my CCS if my child is absent?
If your child is absent, CCS is still payable but only for up to 42 absences for each child, per financial year. Please note: this number is not per claimant if you have a split family account.
In special circumstances, you may get CCS for more than 42 absence days, if supporting documents have been provided.
No CCS is payable however for any session of care that occurs:
– after the last day a child physically attended care, or
– before the first day a child physically attended care
Why is my child’s CCS enrolment ‘Ceased’?
When there has been no attendances for 14 Weeks, Centrelink will automatically update the Child’s CCS status to ‘Ceased’.
When Centrelink updates an enrolment to Ceased, they review the child’s submitted attendances/child’s last physical attendance at the service. Where CCS has been paid, Centrelink will automatically recover any CCS paid for absences after the child’s last attendance.
BECKLYN will send a new CCS enrolment to Centrelink, either the week prior to or the beginning of the week bookings recommence.
You will need to log into your MyGov account and confirm the new CCS Enrolment. This can be done by:
- Selecting Centrelink
- Clicking on the Menu (3 bars top left of the screen)
- Expanding Childcare Subsidy
- Clicking on Enrolments – Confirming each child’s CCS enrolment.
4. General Centre Information
4. General Centre Information
4a) What time is breakfast at the Centre?
A light breakfast is held from 7:00am until 8:30am (8:15am – Friday). Please ensure that you arrive before 8:15am if your child requires breakfast.
4b) What is the procedure if I am running late to pick up my child?
We understand that sometimes there are unavoidable circumstances that may mean you will be running late to collect your child. In this circumstance, you should call the Centre to notify them that you are expecting to be late and give the staff member your estimated time of arrival as soon as you know you will be late. A late pick-up fee of $10.00 every 10 minutes you are late will be applied.
4c) My child has started in Kindergarten and is new to the Centre. How will my child get to and from school and OOSH?
In Term One, we try to ensure that the transition to school is as easy as possible for our Kindergarten children. In the morning sessions, the Kindergarten children stay at the Centre until 9am at which time they are walked to their classroom with a staff member. In the afternoon our staff will have a list of all Kindergarten children attending that session and they will be collected from their classroom by one of our staff, and walked down to OOSH.
4d) Is there a Sign In/ Sign Out Procedure?
Yes; it is a legal requirement that every child in attendance at the Centre is signed in (in the morning) and signed out (in the afternoon). Responsibility can not the taken by the Centre if a child is not signed in or out. Children are not to be left at the Centre at any time prior to the opening hours of the Centre. The person dropping off the child must ensure that a staff member is aware of the child’s presence before leaving the Centre and that any special needs are communicated.
Only a person nominated by the parents on the enrolment form or in writing will be permitted to collect the child from the Centre. Family members must notify the Centre of any custody arrangements or court orders that impact on the collection of children.
If the parent or nominated person is unavoidably detained they should contact the Centre as soon as possible with alternative arrangements for the collection of the child. If the child is not picked up on time every effort will be made to contact the parent or authorised persons nominated on enrolment form. If after 60 minutes, no contact has been made with parents or authorised persons on emergency list then FACS will be notified for follow up action.
4e) What if my child requires medication?
To ensure the interests of staff, children and parents are not compromised, medication will only be administered with the explicit permission of the parent or, in the case of an emergency, with the permission of a medical practitioner.
Parents who wish medication to be administered will need to provide written permission (no authority will be granted over the phone). Medication (excluding Asthma puffers) must be given directly to the Responsible Person and not left in the child’s bag.
A medication form will need to be signed by a guardian on arrival/departure. It will contain the dosage and administration instructions, along with times and a signature.
Prescription medicines will only be administered to the child if prescribed to them and in the original packaging, in the dosage provided on the label.
Children who are Anaphylactic or Asthmatic need to give their action plan to the Director. Epi-pens are kept in the Centre for easy access. Asthma medication may either be kept in the child’s bag or at the Centre as detailed on the Enrolment Form.
4f) What if my child becomes unwell?
If a child become ill or develops symptoms at the Centre, the parent will be contacted and asked to take the child home.
The child who is ill will be comforted, cared for and placed in a quiet area with adult supervision until the child’s parent or other authorised person takes them home.
If the child has a fever the parent will be informed and asked for permission to give paracetamol. Paracetamol will not be given without permission. There is a paracetamol permission clause on the Enrolment Permission Form. Children will be excluded from the Centre if they are ill with any contagious illness (including diarrhea, chicken pox, and conjunctivitis) or have head lice.
This period of exclusion will be based on the recommendations outlined by the Department of Health.
The Responsible Person has the right to refuse access if concerned about the child’s health or well-being.
4g) What if a child has an accident?
In the event of an accident involving a child at the Centre, qualified first aid staff will attend to child, medical attention and/or an ambulance may be called, the family will be notified of action, and an incident report will be completed by the staff.
Every care will be taken and without delay to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the child.
In the event of an accident, the medical expenses are the responsibility of the child’s parent/guardian. This includes the cost of an ambulance.
“The person caring for the child assumes responsibility for acting in the best interest of the child in the event of an injury. The careful exercise of this discretion is considered part of the staff’s Duty of Care”
(Guide to the Law for Children’s Services, NSW Community Child Care Co-op).
4h) What about Sun Safety?
As per the School policy, ‘No hat, no play” will apply.
Children and parents should note that the Centre provides Cancer Council SPF 30+ broad spectrum sunscreen and children without allergies are encouraged to apply it regularly.
If the child is allergic to this product, parents will be asked to provide an alternative sunscreen.
4i) What are the Centre expectations?
The children of the Centre have developed the Centre Expectations in conjunction with the Staff.
- Treat others, staff and toys with respect
- Listen to and follow instructions
- Use respectful words and tone when talking
- Avoid disruptive and dangerous behaviours
- No physical contact
- Be honest
- Treat others how you wish to be treated
We also abide by the School rules at all times as we are located on Truscott St Public School grounds
4j) How is children’s behaviour managed?
We aim to provide a positive approach to managing the behaviour of all children and to assist children in self discipline and an understanding of the consequences of their behaviour.
We aim to help children develop safe and appropriate ways of interacting with each other and their environment.
The staff will firstly adopt preventative measures by developing relationships with the children so that they are more likely to respond positively to directions.
They will be kept active and be part of a program based on their current interests, where they will be less likely to misbehave.
The staff will communicate to parents on a regular basis.
4k) What is the Grievance/Complaint Procedure?
The Centre’s Complaints Policy serves to ensure that complaints are dealt with fairly and impartially.
Complaints may be lodged in person or by telephone, email or letter and should detail the name, address and contact numbers of the complainant together with a brief description of the concern.
Further information is available at the Centre.
4l) What are the Centre’s Policies?
More details on all the Centre’s Policies are available in the Policy Manual which is located on the Parent’s Table at the Centre.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact the Centre’s Director, or attend Committee meetings, where you are most welcome.
4m) What is a Family Agreement?
As part of the enrolment process it asks that the family has read and understood the Family Handbook and is agreeing to follow all Centre Policies and Procedures. A completed enrolment will assume this has been read and understood.