FAQs

You can find all of our current updates here.

Contact our Enrolments Team to book in a tour and find out more about your nearest campus.

We have limited positions across nursery, toddler and Preschool/kindergarten. We encourage you to enrol your child early to secure your preferred dates, confirm your requirements or place them on our waitlist.

We welcome you at any time, you can visit our campus or register your child’s details via our enquiry form or speak to our Enrolments team. You will receive regular updates from our Enrolments Team with information about availability, events and other relevant campus information.

Yes, we understand this is an important step in selecting childcare. We welcome and encourage families to visit our campuses and meet the Campus Director. We do ask that you make an appointment to visit, so please contact the Enrolments team or book a tour online or contact our team on 138 622.

Yes you can. We understand this can be an exciting time to start planning and encourage families who are expecting to book in a tour. Once the baby is born we would encourage you to contact our Enrolments team to update your details, book a tour and secure your child’s enrolment.

We understand a family’s circumstances change and encourage you to keep us up to date with your enrolment needs. However, our Enrolments team will regularly be checking availability to offer you an enrolment. You are welcome to contact us if you have any questions or wish to update your preferences.

To secure your position, you will need to complete the enrolment form via an online portal, My Family Lounge. Your Enrolments Consultant will send you an “Offer of Enrolment” email to complete the online enrolment form and upload documents. The following documentation will be required:

• Online child enrolment form completed and signed by both parents (unless sole custody)
• Photo or scan of driver’s licence, or other government-issued photographic ID of both parents (unless sole custody)
• Copy of your child’s birth certificate
• Any relevant documents relating to sole parenting documentation, medical plans, custodial orders etc.
• Current immunisation record from Medicare or the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR)

Immunisations

A current immunisation record is required for all enrolments. Copies of your blue book records are not accepted. You can obtain a copy of your child’s immunisation details at any time:

• using your Medicare online account through myGov
• using the Medicare Express Plus App
• by calling the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) general enquiries line on 1800 653 809

We understand that gathering all of this information can be time consuming and so recommend that families have these documents ready ahead of time to ensure we are able to process your enrolment efficiently.

Should you have trouble accessing the online enrolment portal we would be happy to assist in providing printable version to assist you. Our Enrolments team will be happy to assist you through the process.

• For enrolments, we ask for an initial payment bond of 2 weeks gross fees and a non-refundable enrolment fee of $250.00.
• If the enrolment is cancelled before the commencement date the full initial payment will be returned to you.

When you are offered a position at your chosen childcare centre, our Enrolments Consultant will send an offer via our enrolment portal to complete. We allow 48-72 hours to accept, complete and upload supporting documents of your child, including your child’s birth certificate and immunisation records.

To secure your position, you will need to complete the enrolment form via an online portal, My Family Lounge. Your Enrolments Consultant will send you an “Offer of Enrolment” email to complete the online enrolment form. To secure your enrolment you will need to accept and complete the online enrolment and provide Direct Debit details along with a copy of your child’s birth certificate and immunisation records.

A current immunisation record is required for all enrolments. Copies of your blue book records are not accepted. You can obtain a copy of your child’s immunisation details at any time:

• using your Medicare online account through myGov
• using the Medicare Express Plus App
• by calling the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) general enquiries line on 1800 653 809

We understand that gathering all of this information can be time consuming and so recommend that families have these documents ready ahead of time to ensure we are able to process your enrolment efficiently.

Our Enrolments team will be happy to assist you through the process. They can be contacted on 139 622.

Our families generally secure 3-5 days for their child. What they find is children develop stronger friendship groups and connections to our educators and giving them a stronger sense of belonging.

Our educators find the children connect with the curriculum on a deeper level enhancing their learning and development, so we recommend a consistency of days and settle into care much quicker.

The minimum enrolment is 2 days. We feel any less than this can be too upsetting for children as they cannot settle and form attachment with other children or teachers. It can also be difficult for teachers to plan a suitable program if a child is only attending 1 day per week. We also require all enrolments to include a Monday or a Friday.

If you are stuck on any part of your enrolment form, please contact our team, who will be happy to help you.

Yes, we are a registered childcare provider which means that eligible families are able to claim the Government Child Care Subsidy relating to your childcare.

The  Child Care Subsidy (CCS) is designed to help make early learning and childcare more accessible for a large number of Australian families. Child Care Subsidy will generally be paid directly to your approved childcare provider/s to reduce the fees you pay.

Only About Children is here to support you as you begin to discover your family’s entitlements and the varied options available. We can help guide you to make the most of your CCS, so your child or children can benefit from the exciting opportunities that the right early learning or preschool/kindergarten environment can offer.

The Child Care Subsidy will be paid directly to providers to be passed on to families as a fee reduction. Families will make a co-contribution to their childcare fees and pay to the provider the difference between the fee charged and the subsidised amount.

There are certain requirements that must be satisfied for an individual to be eligible to receive the Child Care Subsidy (CCS) for their child. These include:

• The age of the child (must be 13 or under and not attending secondary school)
• The individual, or their partner, meeting the residency requirements
• The combined family income meeting the specified requirements
• The child meeting immunisation requirements
• The activity level of your family – See the Department of Education’s Child Care Subsidy Activity Test

To find out more information about CCS and eligibility please visit:

• The Department of Education has provided extensive Frequently Asked Questions on their website.
• For in-depth details on the Child Care Subsidy visit their website or contact the Department directly on 1300 566 046

Your best online source of information for this is the Services Australia website page: How to Claim.

No. From the 1st January 2018, any new Only About Children enrolments will require the child to be fully up-to-date with their immunisations, or be on a catch up schedule, or have a medical exemption to be enrolled into care. Documentation supporting the child’s immunisation position must be provided at the time of enrolment.

Children who are not vaccinated are not eligible to receive the Child Care Subsidy. See updated Immunisation requirements for the CCS.

The following documents will be accepted by Only About Children to show a child’s immunisation status:

• AIR Immunisation History Statement – those that are fully immunised for their age
• AIR Immunisation Medical Exemption Form – those that have a medical reason not to be vaccinated, or
• AIR Immunisation History Form – those that are on a recognised catch-up schedule

No other documents will be accepted, and the enrolment cannot be confirmed without one of these.

A copy of your child’s immunisation details can be obtained at any time by:

• using their Medicare online account through MyGov
• using the Medicare Express Plus App
• calling the Australian Immunisations Register (AIR) General Enquiries Line on 1800 653 809

Parents should automatically receive their child’s AIR Immunisation History Statement in the mail after they complete their immunisation schedule (sometime after 4 years of age).

Overseas immunisation schedules may differ from the Australian schedule and cannot be accepted.

• If a child was immunised overseas, their immunisation record will need to be checked by a GP who will upload the information to the Australian Immunisation Register, and provide an AIR Immunisation History Form aligning their immunisations to the current Australian schedule and what immunisations the child needs to catch-up on.
• Parents can then request an updated AIR Immunisation History Statement to reflect this and submit to Only About Children.

NOTE: A doctor’s letter is not acceptable – only an AIR Immunisation History Form or a catch up schedule will be accepted.

Please visit the National Immunisation Program website which outlines the vaccinations and when they are due.

The daily fee depends on the centre your child attends, and the room that they are enrolled in. Generally, there is a different fee for Nursery, Toddler and Preschool age groups. Each campus has a different fee structure. Please contact us and an Enrolments Consultant will be able to assist you.

• All essentials from nappies, wipes and barrier cream to formula and bottles, cot linen and sunscreen
• Nutrition program and dietitian designed seasonal menu
• Every snack and meal, starting from breakfast, is prepared daily by our in-house campus cooks – cow and soy milks available
• Dedicated Oac Grow early learning curriculum including Book of the Month, Music, Spanish Language & Active Programs designed for nursery, toddler and preschool/kindergarten ages
• School Readiness Program
• Health program to support your child’s physical health and emotional wellbeing supported by our health team specialists in Nutrition, Speech Pathology, Occupational Therapy & Vision
• Stimulating outdoor spaces (with a focus on play-based learning & sustainability)
• Daily photo & diary updates via the Storypark app
• Excursions & community activities
• Qualified and passionate Educators

Billing is conducted automatically every fortnight on a Monday, for two weeks in advance. At enrolment, you will supply direct debit details, you can elect to pay your fees by credit card or direct debit by updating your details in our payment portal or submitting a Direct Debit Request. You can change/update your billing details at any time via My Family Lounge or uploading an updated direct debit form.

The reason we need to charge on public holidays is because we have everyday costs that take place, regardless of whether children are at the campus or not. Some early childhood services absorb their running costs into their fees making their daily rate higher. This may mean that you are paying for public holidays even if your child is not enrolled on a public holiday. However, we do not charge for Christmas Day (25th December), Boxing Day (26th December) or New Year’s Day (1st January).

Your CCS activity levels are confirmed by Centrelink depending on your circumstances and will provide a number of hours of care each fortnight.

For example: If both guardians are working fulltime (80hrs per fortnight), they will be entitled to 100hrs of subsidised care per week. If their child attends 5 days per week at a service that operates for 11 hours each day, they will use 55hrs in week 1 leaving them with only 45 hours for week 2. This means the fees incurred for CCS week 1 will be lower than CCS week 2.

To find out more information about CCS and eligibility go to the Child Care Subsidy Information page on Services Australia.

• The Department of Education have also provided extensive Frequently Asked Questions on their website
• For in-depth details on the Child Care Subsidy visit their website or contact the Department directly on 1300 566 046

If you have any questions about your statement or fees please contact Family Support on 138 622 or [email protected] during business hours.

After providing notice to leave Only About Children, your initial payment will be returned to your nominated account. This will happen three weeks after your child has finished at the campus.

The Administration Fee is $10.50 for fees, charges or reimbursements processed.

We charge a standard late collection fee of $20 plus an additional $15 for each 15 minute increment after our closing time. So, for example, if your Campus closes at 6:30pm but you do not collect your child until 7pm, you will be charged $50 [calculated as $20 + (2 x $15)].

For help on understanding your statement please view our Oac Statement guide.

NSW

0-2 years 1:4
2-3 years 1:5
3-5 years 1:10

VIC

0-2 years 1:4
2-3 years 1:4
3-5 years 1:11

QLD

0-2 years 1:4
2-3 years 1:5
3-5 years 1:11

The notice period to make any changes to your enrolled days is 2 weeks written notice.

You can request a change of days through the My Family Lounge app or website, or directly through your Campus Director.

The notice period to end your enrolment is 4 weeks written notice. Please contact your Campus Director to discuss changes to your enrolment.

Yes. Please contact our Enrolments Team, who will be able to support you to find out the availability within another Only About Children campus.

Transitions into an older room can take place throughout the year and are based on developmental readiness, availability and by age. When our preschoolers and kindergarten children leave for primary school in January, we also have the opportunity to transition children to the appropriate age group.