The Child Care Subsidy (CCS) is a payment made by the Australian Government to help families with the cost of quality child care and early education.  This is paid directly to the service to reduce your weekly fees.
Three things will determine a family’s level of Child Care Subsidy:

1. A family’s combined income will determine the percentage of subsidy they are eligible to receive.
2. An activity test will determine how many hours of subsidised care families can access, up to a maximum of 100 per fortnight.
3. The type of child care service will determine the hourly rate cap. Some basic requirements must be satisfied for an individual to be eligible to receive the Child Care Subsidy. These include:
• The age of the child (must be 13 or under and not attending secondary school).
• The child meeting immunization requirements.
• The individual, or their partner, meeting the residency requirements.

The number of hours of subsidised child care that families will have access to per fortnight will be determined by a three-step activity test. In two parent families, both parents, unless exempt, must meet the activity test. In the case where both parents meet different steps of the activity test, the parent with the lowest entitlement will determine the hours of subsidised care for the child. Low income families who earn under a government set threshold who do not meet the activity test will be able to access 24 hours of subsidised care per child per fortnight without having to meet the activity test, as part of the Child Care Safety Net. Under the Child Care Subsidy families are allowed 42 absence days per child each financial year. These can be taken for any reason, including public holidays or when children are sick.

How the subsidy works

The main components of the new CCS are based on activity, family income and type of childcare service and will affect the percentage you are eligible to receive.
The activity test, determines how many hours of childcare per fortnight you will receive subsidy for. Both parents are required to work, study or volunteer for a minimum of 8 hours per fortnight.
Your family’s combined income will calculate the CCS percentage you’re entitled to. It’s based on a grading system, with more financial support available to lower income families.

How to estimate your CCS: online calculator

To determine what your CCS might be, you can use the Government's online calculator.

Subsidy (CCS) is available and will be deducted from the following fees if entitled.

We know that there is no one size fits all option for our families when it comes to early childhood    education and care. That is why we are giving families the freedom to choose which hours best suit their needs.   

Fee Schedule - July 2021 - July 2022

Payment of fees  

It is our policy that family’s weekly fees must be one week in advance and paid at the beginning of each week (this includes the current week plus one). The parent must then continue to pay the weekly fee in advance in order to maintain a credit balance equivalent to one week of fee.

The fees can be made at the center using the eftpos facility or deposited into the Kids Own bank account upon request by families. 

If you are planning holidays, a Holiday Discount book is available from the office. This book must be filled out two weeks prior to the holiday absence to receive discount off your fees for up to four weeks  (pro-rata to the number of days your child attends) each financial year.  

All children’s booked days, including public holidays and absent days must be paid to retain your child’s place. Late fees are charged if children remain in the centre after closing times.