Starting day care advice/info please

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 :dance:) 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 :redface:

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.

Thanks guys, this is all new to me:o

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).

GL with it all!

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! :lol:
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 :o

Oh yeah, it is scary. I was worried too about DD, about whether or not she would sleep (I often had to pat her to sleep) about whether they'd be able to cuddle her as much as she'd want...
Anyway, they were wonderful with her. They were gentle, and affectionate. Plus, she is a really different kid when she is at CC these days. They say she is quite independent, able to entertain herself although she does love running after the older boys :o And when they have their Japanese class (yes, they are only 2 and 3 year olds!) she is a bit of a class clown, lol. This is very different to how she is at home and playgroup - she's much more demanding of me than of her carers.
Sorry for babbling, but I just wanted to share some of our experiences in the hope that it might reassure you a little!

Thanks snacks, its good to hear that the staff are nice to your DD and embrace her personality that does help to put my mind at ease a bit.
I reckon DS puts it on for me, he's definitely different with me than he is with his daddy. He winges and pushes me a lot more that DH but i guess that because dh is bigger, louder and tougher than me lol

I also worry how he'll be with group activities because he's not the kind of boy who will just sit and do Art/craft for 1/2 hour, he likes painting and drawing but only for about 5mins then he's up and off to the next thing so i'm a little nervous about how he'll go with the structured activities or games where he has to follow a specific order of doing things if that makes sense?

Im mum to a 4yr old little girl, Zoe. I also work in childcare and have done so for the past 8 years.

I think childcare is great for kids to socialise with other children and further develop their emotional and social skills. It improves their language, their confidence aswell as their physical development. Its a great stepping stone and preparation for them - as warms them up for preschool and school in the future also.

I would suggest calling some centres in your area and asking them to post out a centre policy and proceedures handbook.. this will give you a better idea of what they are about and what their goals and philosophies are.

By all means visit some centres to get a feel fro them - I know myself that some centres you walk into have a homely and caring feel where as others, sometimes the vibe isnt that great. Have a talk to the director and the Group Leader and assistant from the particular room that your child will be in and ask them about their room routine, their behaviour management policy, their daily programme etc... Asl alot of questions.

Once you have chosen a suitable childcare centre ensure that prior to your childs first day that perhaps you pop in for an hour one morning or afternoon with your child and slowly transition your child to the idea of daycare.. maybe sit in for morning tea or the morning activity.. warm your child up to the idea as first days can be very traumatic for both mum and child - you want it to go as smooth as possible so a few transition days will surely benefit.

As for the childcare rebate it all depends on your financial situation. For example if you are a single parent who is not working you are entital to 50 hours childcare per week at a reduced rate of approx 50% per day.. however it differs alot familty to family. Contact centrelink first of all and explain your child will be starting childcare soon and get them to work out your ccb% for you .. then the centre will take care of the rest for you... yo will pay them directly whatever your personal rate is and most centres require fees to be to weeks in advance at all times.

I hope some of this can help..

I hope all goes well for you and your little one :-)

Rachael

Hi Rachael Thanks for the great advice, sorry for the late reply my internet conncetion is being a pain in the bum and keeps disconecting me so haven't been able to write back til now.

Just a few questions for you if thats ok, again really appreciate your advice.

Like i mentioned before, DS can be a very cautious little thing and isn't always keen to take part in group activities like art/craft or just sit at a table with the other kids and play with playdo etc. He's more interested in running around or playing on the play equipment. As a carer, what do you do in this situation? Is it something my DS will learn to do? I've just started taking DS to mainly music which is kind of like a playgroup where all the kids learn simple actions to songs and dance and sing along to the music etc but so far ds doesn't quite seem ready, he'll get into it a little bit, maybe stamp his feet and clap his hands to the music but he's not keen on getting too involved. I'll keep taking him because i think its good practice for him for day care and i think eventually he'll get the hang of it. I guess my main fear is that DS will go to day care and be behind the other kids and feel left out iykwim.

Like a siad before Ds is a 'quirky' little thing and has funny little obsessions with plugs, doors, sinks etc In your experience have you come across other 'quirky' kids and how do they fit in? He's quite good and if you tell him to stop playing the the sink/plug/door etc he usually doesn't fuss too much and go and play with something else.

Also are there any activities i can do with ds to get him ready for day care? Should i be trying to structure his day? Eg maybe get him used to the idea of structured play- art carft in the morning, then reading, outside play etc or isn't this necessary? Usually i just go with the flow and let ds tell me what he wants to do.

Also Ds isn't toilet trained yet, i'm waiting until he's 3 to start and when the weather heats up because i really feel he's not ready yet although he is getting more aware of his wees and poos and tells me when he's done one.

Sorry to bombard you with all the questions, its good to talk with someone who works in the child care setting. Thanks again :)