ABC centre enquiry ?? ... Does this sound about right ??

[smiles4u]

Hi all,

Mods please move if i'm in the wrong area !!

Someone i know that i was speaking with yesterday at playgroup informed me that her DD (she will be 3 in March) is starting Kinder today at a local ABC child care centre ... I asked her how could she be starting Kinder as where we live the child must be 3 already. She said "Oh, she won' be in the Kinder room until she turns 3, she will be outside that room in the meantime".

Then she went on to tell me she is only paying ** $26 for the day ** ... whether she has her there for 2hrs or all the hours they are open which is from 6am to 6pm.

I asked her how is it so cheap, did she need a concession card or something for such a cheap rate (mind you i have no idea what a full rate is anyway) .. she answered a bit wishy washy "Has something to do with the end of year financial" ... I asked what do you mean ... you mean they work out the rate on your DH income (which i know is no more than $35K PA & she is a SAHM) ... she went onto not give a straight forward answer ... then she admitted it helps .. but said she wasnt sure if a concession card from C/L helps (which made no sense to me as i know they have a concession card)

She said she plans on putting DD in for a min of 6hrs one day a week so she can have time to herself.

Also she said there is a chef on the premises cooking all the meals which is included in the $26 for the day ... she said eg, risotto for lunch, etc ... she doesn't need to take any snacks or anything for her.

I spoke to my DP about it and we both agreeded if it's that cheap we would consider putting our DD (turns 3 in May) instead of her local Kindergarten ...and maybe i could go back to work for a few hours per week ...

The woman in question fully well knows we are not entitled to a concession card through C/L as she knows my DP earns a very good salary ...

*** My question is does this sound right to you ... or is she having me on ??? ***

I don't want to ring the ABC centre and come across like a dill

Any kind replies would be so appreciated

[briggsy's girl]

if she is on 35k annual income, she'd be receiving maximum child care benefit rebate which would potentially make her payment that small as she'd be getting over $3 an hour paid by the government.

being you are regional, the daily cost isn't as high as in the cities

so yeah, she's probably right on the mark with that one...

[Rebecca77]

Hmmm....sounds VERY cheap!! If I were you I would ring the centre and act as if you are interested in putting your child in and ask if there was a time and day that you could come in and do a tour of teh centre........then you can have all the ins and outs explained to you from the horses mouth so to speak!

[smiles4u]

WOW BG ... you are an absolute legend on this site ... Thanks a million for that info (sadly i doubted her as she has cried wolf far too many times and i no longer know what to believe what she tells me)

Hopefully anyone else that has dealing with the ABC child care centre can tell me if the $26 per day includes all of what she mentioned ??

P.S - she also happened to mention that she was the last available spot for her DD to be able to go the day that she rang them to enquire which was only this Monday (we have had one ABC centre close down here ... i think two are left open here) !!

[Arimeh]

Smiles, I think it depends on the centre mate. I didn't get that offered with the ABC I was with - all snacks, food, everything you had to provide yourself. And lucky her - I was paying over $60 a day...

[nelly]

My 2 ABC centres we were in were the same as Mel - you provdided everything but the first one was slightly more expensive (but it burnt down hence we had to move centres). We were paying around $65 per day. We were tring to get him back into one of the others closer to us and one of those does nappies but you still do all of your own food for around same fees.

FWIW one of my friends and her husband are low income and get a great rebate at the same cente. Maybe call the FAO before you call the centre so they can tell you the % rebate you are entitled to.

[smiles4u]

Yeh, ... she said if she went back to work (both working) ... she would only pay about $40 per day ... Sounds pretty good

[Lisa]

I know that the ABC centres do include all of what your friend mentioned, and they also are rather cheap considering. I'd say give them a call and have a chat to them about rates etc... I have found they can be a little pushy though, so maybe tell them you're just checking around.

[The[cookie]Doctor]

I enquired here, full rate ar $64 per day. Depending on combined annual income depends how much it goes down to. With me estimating ours at no more than $70k it would come down to $45 per day - not including the refunds and stuff at tax time. But depending on something recieving 50% back at tax time up to a value of $7,500

[angelaartsstudent]

Hubby and I were told $75 a day by ABC centres so I say "wow" to $26 a day!

[smiles4u]

Me too ... $26 sounds just so brilliant

[Oorki Galoorki]

the starting price would be some where around the $60 to $80 then take off the CCB it could drop down to the $26 she says and then every quarter you get half of that back! so essentially its $13 per day!
you can beat childcare cost wise.. its so cheap with what the government give back now!

[~breeze~]

at our ABC we're out of pocket about $45 a day. All meals (gourmet like your friend said... they have a nutritionist chef... if thats what they're called LOL) are included & in the toddler room which is age 2-3yrs all nappies are included aswell so I didnt even need to supply those!
We also get a free school photo/portrait at the end of the year, dont know if that happens at all day care centres?

[Beatrix]

at my cc i pay out of pocket of $17 a day

but full cost is $65 a day

i recieve full assistance from centrelink

This is a ABC centre

[Mother Goose]

I agree you should call the centre for a quote and also the FAO to see how much assistance you will qualify for. My DD goes to an ABC and we also pay over $60 per day which includes all food and nappies for the day. I can only dream of paying $26 a day!

[Visitor7]

The daycare Nina goes to (it's not ABC though) is $59 a day including food and nappies. I pay $30 a day.
So it certainly sounds it could be correct. It's all based on your income though. You'll need to find out the full rate of the daycare then contact Centrelink and get an estimate from them as well.