How does occasional care work?

My morning sickness is so bad that I'm unable to look after the kids all day. So I'm looking at putting them into occasional care for one or two days a week. DH has had a week off work and then my parents in law took them 3 days this week (but it is too much for them). So a day or two at occasional care for the next few weeks will help.

So how does it work?

Do they take all ages?
Are they part of a normal child care centre or only do occasional care?
How much will it be cost wise?
Will I get any back from the government?
Will they settle in okay?
How far do you book in advance?

Any other tips or hints?

TIA!

- In my area of Melbourne they take ages up to 4.
- They are all stand alone occasional care centres, generally as part of community centres.
- Cost is around $45 per session which is 5 hours
- I don't think the child care rebate applies as you are not working or looking for work. You might get Child Care Benefit, but I'm not sure about that or whether it's applicable to occasional care.
- Settling in is very different from child to child. My son took some time to settle into long day care.
- Booking procedures depend from place to place. Around here, you can make a permanent booking a month in advance for each month or you can book just one day a week in advance.

Hope you morning sickness passes soon. I think it's a a great idea to put your kids into occasional care so you can rest.

Where i am (in Melbourne) they are linked to community centres.
Ages 6 weeks - 5 years
I pay $18.00 for 3 hours.
I was on a waiting list for 6 months plus for a permanent spot. In the meantime, i was given a casual spot from a waiting list if another child rang in sick.
Nothing back from the Govt.

My local YMCA have a creche where you book 2 weeks in advance and their sessions are 1hr15mins long and cost $4ish dollars per session (or less for 2 kids). Parents use it for all manner of reasons, but mostly if they are using the Gym or the swimming pool. It is very unstructured and even has a TV going!

Thanks ladies!

It doesn't sound too expensive.

5 hours would be better than 3 hours. Hopefully I will call my the two nearest to me on Monday to find out the go.