Hi all, I'm thinking of starting ds in day care when he turns 3 in August but i have no idea where to start so im hoping other mum's who's kiddies are in care can offer some direction.
There are 3 reasons why i want to start ds in day care-
1. To socialise with other kids and gain more social skills- atm we go to a playgroup once a week and the park every now and then but i feel he needs more social interaction with kids his age.
2. Ds was a little late to talk (he's vocabulary is steadily improving yay ) so the speech pathologist he saw thought it would be a good idea to get him into a day care that has a pre school like structure eg set learning areas etc (does that make sense?) by age 3
3. I'm getting back into my study and so having a day a week when ds is in care would give me a chance to get some much needed work done.
so i have a few questions, bare with me this is all new to me so they may be a bit silly
1. Do i just ring around at the different day care places in my area and request some info on enrolment/requirements etc?
2. Is there a waiting list? Should i try and enrol ds now?
3. How do i help ds adjust to going to day care? I was thinking i'd start him off with maybe an hour or two a week with me there with him and then progress to 1-2 hours without me, then maybe half a day then work up to a full day or even possibly 2 full days a week does this sound right? Ds is really mummy obsessed at the moment so i worry about him getting upset without me there but he does love playing with other kids and i've noticed he's quite happy to run off and play with the other kids at playgroup.
4. Can someone explain the whole child care rebate thingy to me in simple terms? From what i gather the government re-enburses (sp) the parents at tax time??? My DH and i recieve parenting payments and family tax benefits A and B.
I started DD1 when she was 2, i was working full time and my mum watched her for me but i also wanted her to have some child contact.
I started by ringing around the centres in my area to find ones that had availabilties on the day that i wanted, (tuesdays) when it was confirmed they had that day, i went in and had a look at them, sussed out which ones were to my liking ie play areas, planned and free playtime, teaching schedules and so on and i then made the final choice, got the paperwork all sorted and handed it back in.
With FTB you just call centrelink and tell them the centres CRN and then they link it up with the centre when you give the centre your centrelink number. It then works out what kind of rebate your allowed.
Most centres should let you do a trial day, to see how he goes and then on his first real day they let you stay for a bit until hei is settled and then let you call throught out the day to check.
My DD used to cry a bit when i dropped her off yet when it came to leaving she never wanted to go.
Regarding the tax rebate and childcare benefit:
Childcare benefit (CCB) is the amount that the government pays of your fees. This is based on your combined family income and the amount of discount you get varies accordingly. The discount is taken off your fees and you pay the difference (gap). Depending on your income and your centres fee schedule you might pay from as little as $8 per day up to the full fee amount.
If you pass the test from centrelink - you may be elligable to receive the 50% tax rebate at the end of each 1/4. To qualify usually means both parent sare working, or studying. You might qualify if you do the study you mentioned. This 50% is above the CCB that centrelink already pays. It is 50% of the part (gap) that you pay. So if you pay $20/week for care and you qualify, at the end of the quarter you will get $10/week back - usually paid into your bank account.
You will need to contact centrelink about your child attending care - if you get a family payment from them you can set this up over the phone, if not you will need to fill out paperwork, so do this well in advance. Depending on the centre you choose and whether they are using the new CCMS (childcare management system) you may need their CRN (childcare reference number) to link your child to their service - so you will need to choose a centre bfore doing this.
Regarding centres, don't just ring, you won't get a good idea of quality, etc without actually going in for a tour. All directors should be happy to do a tour any time of the day (be suspicious if they appear reluctant - what are they hiding or embarassed about), I personally (being a director) happily do tours, though lunchtimes and rest time are tricky - if I am relieving other's lunches, etc. I phone call to arrange a time would be a good idea too.
Depending on where you are, there may well be a waiting list, so start looking now, the good ones probably will have lists unless you are in a quiet area (like me).
Hope I've answered some of your questions - anything else, just ask!
1. Do i just ring around at the different day care places in my area and request some info on enrolment/requirements etc?
I did this - I rang up and asked if anyone had availability for the days I was wanting. I rang about 40 centres and found 3 that had places available and that was because a child had had a birthday and had moved into the next room. I was told that the space would probably fill within a week. So I went on a tour of those centres that had a space available, and chose the one that I was most happy with. (I really like to look at how the staff talk to and interact with the children. The centre I chose impressed me because as I walked around with Natalie the staff came and spoke to me and also spoke to her.)
2. Is there a waiting list? Should i try and enrol ds now?
Ask when you make your phone calls. Might be worth starting to ring around now so you have the option of putting his name on a list in case there's no availability anywhere you like when you're ready to put him in.
3. How do i help ds adjust to going to day care? I was thinking i'd start him off with maybe an hour or two a week with me there with him and then progress to 1-2 hours without me, then maybe half a day then work up to a full day or even possibly 2 full days a week does this sound right? Ds is really mummy obsessed at the moment so i worry about him getting upset without me there but he does love playing with other kids and i've noticed he's quite happy to run off and play with the other kids at playgroup.
DD was 18mo when she started and I found it was a lot less traumatic if I dropped her off and left. Otherwise she would cling on to me and it kind of defeated the purpose. So we dropped her and she'd cry for a few minutes, then we would ring throughout the day to see how she was getting on. (She was always fine.) I started her off on short days - 4-ish hours, then we progressed to longer days after a couple of weeks.
I'm no use to you on the last question, but you've already gotten a couple of responses there. Best thing is just to ring the FAO and chat to them about it (have your CRN ready and they will issue your DS with a CRN too. Once it's all set up you should get the rebate automatically each quarter, provided your CCC is on the new system).
Just to add to the above poster, you will still get your rebate at the end of the quarter whether your centre is on the new system or not - the difference is the older system centres will be slower reporting their figures and so your payments will take longer.
thanks Laiceysmummy, Snacks and ausgirl thats clears up a lot of questions. i think i'll start calling around next week and see if i can arrange a time to have a tour, thanks to those who suggested that
I'm a bit nervous for ds, he's never really been apart from me except when dh is home on the weekends and i duck to the shops but that doesn't happen often. We don't have family close so he's never been left alone with anyone but dh and myself. I think if i talk to him a lot about it so that it isn't a big shock then he should be ok.
I'm also nervous about how the carers will deal with ds's behaviour and temper. He's a lot better tantrum wise than he used to be and most of the time he's a sweet little boy but he sure does have his moments! He has funny little obsessions- plugs and sinks is one of them (yes strange i know but he looooves them!) he will spend ages putting the plug in the sink hole and pulling it out again, he loves to watch the water go down the drain and says' bye bye wawer' lol whenever we go to friends or relatives houses i have to hide the plugs!
Also doors is another one, looooooves sliding doors. Anyway i guess i'm worried the carers wont understand his quirks iykwim Also i worry that he wont be understood, he's getting really good with his talking but he has words for things that only i know..like Daddy,teddy,pluggy,peggy all sound like 'daddy'. Anyway i guess i have to trust that the carers will understand him, after all i guess it is their job and i'm sure they'd be used to deciphering bub talk.
Anywho thanks again guys, the whole centerlink rebate thing sounds confusing but i think i kind of get it. I spose i'll just suss out a good day care and then go from there..ohhh my bubba is going out into the big bad world all by himself
Starting day care advice/info please
) so the speech pathologist he saw thought it would be a good idea to get him into a day care that has a pre school like structure eg set learning areas etc (does that make sense?) by age 3
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