Welcome to Australia Blog

Finding Babysitters

Everyone needs a night out or a rest!

With family a world a way, there comes a point when local help or a paid service is needed.

The ideal is to have good friends and neighbors to do exchanges with, once you know each other and each other’s children.

Alternatively, a recommended and registered baby sitter is ideal.

The average fee is 16$ per hour.

We asked at our children’s day care centre if any staff did some baby sitting in their free time.

Baby Sitters Australia: http://www.findababysitter.com.au/

Immunizations

There is quite a list of immunizations/vacinations recommended for children, here in Australia.

Immunizations are however recommended but are not compulsory.

Day care centers and schools will ask for your child’s ‘record’ to see that you are up to date.

Often older children arriving from overseas are recimmended to have extra vaccinations and can do so in the same way as younger children: at the doctors or at free immunization clinics.

Child Care, Brisbane

There are 4 main childcare providers here in Australia: C&K, Local Community Care, ABC Care Centers and the Family Day Care Association.

There are also some occasional day care centers where you only need to book a week in advance and pay per hour.

Each Care association varies in style, opening hours, structure, philosophy, capacity and nature. What they do have in common is the stipulated regulations in terms of health and safety regulations, qualifications of Carers (Blue Card holders), ratio of care staff to children etc.

Typically children are organized according to age there are classrooms and an outdoor shaded play area. The fees decrease as the children reach the Kindergarten year (aged 3.5 years until prep year aged 5)

Some centers are long day care, opening at 7am and closing at 6pm and are open all year round, the daily rate is the daily rate. Others follow the school semester. With places, priority goes to moms who are returning to work, first, then ‘mother’s rest’ care, second .

The fees are means tested, that is calculated on earnings. The most expensive all-day care fees I’ve seen are 70$ a day and the cheapest are 35$, with family day care having a hourly rate of 7$. There is a 30% tax rebate on these fees and as mentioned they are reduced further depending on your income.

Places at child care are in demand, particularly in state capitals. It is worth visiting all the care options in your area and putting your name down on the list at several, being prepared to wait or take the days available.

Financially, one of the big complaints is that in some lines of work it isn’t financially worth working and sending your child to care as you barely cover the fees. When working there is also a decrease in family assistance (child payment given by government to all families).

Useful Resources:
Child Care Tax Rebate
C and K Child Care: www.candk.asn.au/
ABC Child Care: www.childcare.com.au/ourfamily/dod-details.php