Fees

Family membership fees:

A $35 annual membership fee is charged to every family when they enrol or re-enrol at the centre each year.

Vacation Care:

The Family Membership fee must be paid to enrol in Vacation Care.

Vacation Care fees for in-centre activities are $55, however incursions and excursions, as well as additional resources may attract an additional fee.

Ezidebit Fees:

Administration Fee (once only): $2.20

Bank Account Transaction Fee: $0.88

Credit Card Transaction Fee: VISA/Mastercard 2.35% (min $1.18); AMEX/Diners 4.40% (min $0.88)

DEBITSUCCESS Dishonour Fee: $14.95 per dishonoured transaction (to be charged directly from DEBITSUCCESS)

Late collection fee:

The Centre closes at 6.00pm. Any child collected after 6.00pm will incur a $50 charge per child, with an additional $2.00 per minute being incurred for each child after this point. If a child is not collected by 6.30pm & no contact can be made with parents or emergency contacts, the child will be placed under the supervision of the local police station or Department of Community Services. Late pick up fines are calculated on the spot & are determined by the timestamp on the touchscreen at the service. Continual late pick-ups will lead to written notification that your booking at the centre is in jeopardy.

Non-notification fee:

It is your responsibility to inform the centre. A non-notification fee of $5 is charged if the centre has not been contacted that your child is not attending; please do not pass on a message with a sibling or the school.

Please note: The school does not pass on messages regarding absences if your child is away. You must either log in to the webserver & mark them away or let the centre know to avoid unnecessary confusion & concern. The roll is checked in each session to make sure all children are present.

Childcare Subsidy (CCS) information

Childcare Subsidy explained

To get Child Care Subsidy (CCS) you must:

• care for a child 13 or younger who’s not attending secondary school, unless an exemption applies
• use an approved child care service
• be responsible for paying the child care fees
• meet residence and immunisation requirements.

Your family’s combined income will calculate the CCS percentage you’re entitled to.

Please note: It is the responsibility of the family to make appropriate updates to the Government to maintain levels of entitlement. Ermington OOSH is not authorised to speak to the Government on your behalf.

Once you have received a position, the centre will lodge your CCS enrolment automatically but it is the families responsibility to log onto their MyGov and confirm the enrolment with Centrelink. The centre requires families to provide the guardians DOB and individual CRN and the child’s DOB and individual CRN to be able to successfully lodge the enrolment.

Important information to consider:

• CCS can only be back tracked 28 days so if he required information is not received by then, families must pay fees in entirety.
• You can still get paid the Child Care Subsidy if you’re charged for a day when your child does not attend. These are called absent days. Families are entitled to 42 allowable absences per financial year. These absences are based on sessions; if your child is away both morning and afternoon in one day = 2 absences. After families have gone over these absences, there are 7 circumstances that may allow families to be eligible for additional absences. These include:

• The child or a member of immediate household is ill – must provide medical certificate or evidence from a government agencies or pathology service.
• The child is attending preschool – The centre must be reasonably satisfied that the reason has been met.
• The child has not been immunised against an infectious disease and the absence occurs during an immunisation grace period (63 days after the day that the child did not meet the immunisation requirements) – Must provide a medical certificate stating the exposure to the infectious disease would pose a health risk to the child
• The child is spending time with a person other than their usual carer as required by a court order or parenting plan – A copy of the relevant court order or parenting plan must be provided
• The child cannot attend because of a period of emergency, for up to 28 days after the period of emergency – The centre must be reasonably satisfied that the reason has been met.
• The child’s carer chooses not to send the child due to a period of emergency, for up to 7 days after the period of emergency – The centre must be reasonably satisfied that the reason has been met.

Notice of Outstanding Fees

Debt recovery

The Approved Provider reserves the right to take action to recover debts owing to the service. This can include the engagement of debt collectors to recover the monies owed.

Where a family owes any overdue fees to the service, the child’s place may be suspended until all outstanding monies are paid, or both parties agree to a payment plan.  Fees not paid by the due date will be followed up as below:

1. An initial letter stating fees are overdue will be sent after the fee due date, allowing an additional 10 business days for payment.
2. If payment is not received within 10 business days, families will be invited to discuss a payment plan. Correspondence and/or payment of fees is expected within 5 business days of invitation.
3. Non-payment after 5 business days post-invitation will result in a reminder letter allowing an additional 5 working days for correspondence and/or payment of fees otherwise the family will have their bookings suspended.
4. The Approved Provider reserves the right to employ the services of a debt collector as needed, and the family will be responsible for all fees associated with recovering the debt.