Frequently Asked Questions
If you have a question that isn't covered below, please get in touch via email or phone us on (03) 9374 2202.
6:45 am – 6:15 pm Monday – Friday.
We are closed on weekends & public holidays. The Centre also closes for Two weeks during the Christmas/New Years period and for one Professional Development Day per year.
No – we are a Long Day Care Service.
Yes – if your child is enrolled for a minimum of one permanent booked day, you can enrol your child for additional casual days, subject to availability.
Nappies, Wipes, Sunscreen
5 Meals daily (Breakfast, Morning Tea, Lunch, Afternoon Tea, Late Snack)
Excursions and In-Service Learning Sessions including music and sport.
Children under three – 4 children to 1 educator
Children over three – 11 children to 1 educator
At AWELC we have three rooms, that all open up into our outdoor learning environments.
Yes, we do. Our funded kinder program is delivered in our age-appropriate rooms by qualified Early Childhood Teachers. To find out more about our Kinder Program, please see our Kinder FAQs and Information.
Yes – they are qualified with one or more of the following:
Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care/Children’s Services
Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care/Children’s Services
Bachelor of Early Childhood Teaching or ACECQA equivalent
Yes – all educators must hold a current working with children check.
To find out if you are eligible for CCS, visit Services Australia’s website via this link https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/who-can-get-child-care-subsidy
Should you require your child’s care to commence as soon as possible (within 3-4 weeks), please rest assured that we will review your request and if, based on our availability, we can offer your child a place, we will get back to you within 5-7 business days. If we are currently unable to offer your child a place, your child’s registration will remain on our waitlist.
Should your request for care be to commence in a month’s time or later, your child’s place will remain on the waitlist, and we will contact you closer to your child’s requested commencement date to discuss your child’s offer of formal enrolment, subject to availability.
We ask for four weeks notice in writing for any changes to your child’s booked days. Your request for increased days will be placed on an internal waitlist and offered to you as soon as we have availability to accommodate your request.
We are closed on public holidays. You will still be charged for that booked day if it falls on a Public Holiday. The reason for this is that our educators are employed on a permanent/full time basis in order to ensure consistency of educators– these educators are still paid for this day that they would have otherwise been working. If your child was due to attend on a day that falls on a public holiday, it will be counted as an absence, and you will still be subject to receiving the CCS, so that you only need to pay the gap – see here for more information if your child is absent from care. https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/child-care-subsidy-if-your-child-absent-from-child-care
This information is shared with families via the Storypark platform/app.
Only those people that are nominated in your child’s enrolment through Xap are able to drop off and pick up. These authorised people will need to sign your child in and out through our digital Kiosk located in the foyer, using their phone number and unique pin code.
Yes – our menu is adapted to accommodate children’s food preference or allergies. Our meals are both Nut and Egg free.
No – we have a strict policy that prohibits bringing food into the centre.
No. Your usual gap fee is to be paid while you are absent from the centre on holidays.
Orientations are free of charge and are scheduled upon completion of your child’s online enrolment after your child has been offered a place. We recommend a minimum of two orientation sessions prior to the commencement of care. Parents are required to remain on the premises during the orientation sessions. If more sessions are required to help your child settle, this is an option that is available to you. Please discuss with Management and Teachers/Educators.
We understand that changes happen all the time for families. We ask that you provide four weeks written notice via email to our centre manager. If you are receiving the childcare subsidy, you must also remember that it’s imperative for your child to attend their last booked day to avoid being charged cessation of care by the Australian government – this is part of the conditions of receiving the childcare subsidy.
The Federal Government offers Child Care Subsidy (CCS) to eligible families to offset childcare and Kindergarten Fees, in an integrated setting (long day care, as we offer at AWELC)
Both Integrated and Sessional Kinder now receive a State Government Subsidy called the Free Kinder subsidy
For an Integrated Kinder program, the Free Kinder Subsidy is $2000 that is applied as a credit to each family’s Centre Account in periodic payments across the calendar year
Sessional Kinder Fees do not attract CCS to offset their Fees – we advise contacting a sessional Kinder directly to clarify their Fees
A family cannot have a child attending two Kinder Programs as a Funded placement at the same time, but can change from one to another. A child may also attend as an unfunded child in an Integrated Kinder Program, should a Centre have capacity for this arrangement.
Yes, they both use The Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework (VEYLDF) is the basis for the curriculum in Early Childhood Education in Victoria.
It is used in both Sessional & Integrated Kindergarten Programs, with the only differences being the environment and the Teacher.
Both 4yo and 3yo Funded Kinder require that a child has turned 4 or 3 years of age respectively BEFORE APRIL 30th that year in order to be eligible to enter the Funded Kinder Programs.
It is recommended that a 3yo be toilet trained or undergoing toilet training by March of that year in a Funded Kinder Program.
At AWELC we begin the following year Enrolment process in April, (however you can approach us any time throughout the year) and will ask families to indicate their preference at that time for a Funded placement in our Kinder Program. First round offers are usually made in September each subsequent offers that are available will be made monthly up to January of the following year.
| AWELC Integrated Kinder | Sessional Kinder |
|---|---|
| Provides meals and snacks | Do not provide food |
| Is open 7am to 6pm 50 weeks of the year | Is open only 40 weeks, following school Terms |
| Allows your child to have a place in the Service all year and your child can be dropped off and collected from the Service at any time during operating hours of the Service | Sessional Kinder requires that children arrive and are collected at set times |
| Fees may be higher than Sessional Fees depending on your eligibility for Child Care Subsidy (CCS) | Do not attract for Child Care Subsidy (CCS) |
The Federal Government offers Child Care Subsidy (CCS) to eligible families to offset childcare and Kindergarten Fees, in an integrated setting (long day care, as we offer at AWELC)
Both Integrated and Sessional Kinder now receive a State Government Subsidy called the Free Kinder subsidy
For an Integrated Kinder program, the Free Kinder Subsidy is $2000 that is applied as a credit to each family’s Centre Account in periodic payments across the calendar year
Sessional Kinder Fees do not attract CCS to offset their Fees – we advise contacting a sessional Kinder directly to clarify their Fees
The State Govt provide a Centre with funding for each child attending in a Funded place, to assist in the cost of running a Kindergarten Program (Funding does not discount a family Fees)
