FREE??!! ECE Hours?

You will still get a subsidy from Winz though wont you? .. so that amount will go down?

You will actually be entitled to more as you will have two kiddies (even if both kiddies arent in care you the calculation is done on two children).

For us we will have to pay $146.00 per week for fulltime care after the 20 hours "free" (thats not taking into account any winz subsidy we will be entitled to at that stage)

we pay extra for the free 20 hours.

kinda.

before our centre brought them in - we paid $60 a week for jake and about the same for Taine. they attended part time hours.

After the centre brought them in, we paid $80 a week (after a minor subsidy) per child. the centre stopped allowing part time hours, so we had to be booked in full time for those days. not impressed but we like the carers, so we just suck it up.

That sucks lizzle - totally unfair that you have been so disadvantaged because you have your kids in part time care. You'd think that the govt and centres would like to help parents raise their children at least some of the time - but it is such a financial advantage to have children in full time care. I, like you, worked out that I would only be paying roughly $30 per week more for DD to be in the centre fulltime rather than half and the extra amount I could earn working fulltime $$$$$$$ - its just ridiculous!

Well its $226 for her without the 20 hours, I presume we will get the full 20 hour subsidy as we get 20 hours subsidised now, so without looking I would guess we will get the full 20 hour subsidy and end up paying $146 for her.

That's weird cos I got a letter from barnadoes a while ago saying they will now be charging $1.40 per hour for the "free hours" as they can no longer do it for what the gov pays them but that if you get the childcare subsidy it would cover that charge.

there are no FREE hours. the new govt changed it to 20 ECE hours.

Ours is structured so that when the 20 hours free came in, all fees for up to 3yo's went up and you actually only get $50 off for your 20 horus 'free' ($135 instead of $185). Doesn't really work at all, does it? But it's because the govt only pays a certain amount, and you can only take it 6 hours a day (well at ours you can anyway).

Just to clarify, you can't receive subsidies for the hours you receive the 20 hours free for anyone that was confused, as they would see that as double-dipping.

I just read this on that site which I thought was interesting





Providers cannot charge fees for the Twenty hours Early Childhood Education hours but they can request families to pay an optional charge. Clients can choose whether or not to pay these. The provider can also request fees for other hours of enrolment that are not covered by the Twenty hours Early Childhood Education.

Hey Cassie - where does Ivy go to?

Bizzy the name changed, but not the rules or functionality as yet.

Baby G, they can only charge you for any services above and beyond regulartory requirements. Eg. they may make you pay for ICT, Meals, etc. You can opt out of these, and according to current legislation, if they refuse then they are very much in the wrong, assuming you are just taking up your 20 free hours.
But these quotes back me up. Straight from the MOE website.

Other fees and charges

If your child is attending ECE for more than six hours on any one day or more than 20 hours a week in total, your ECE service is likely to charge you fees for the remaining hours.

The ECE service cannot charge you fees for any hours covered under 20 Hours ECE, but they can request optional charges for additional services over and above their regulatory requirements. They must tell you what these are. You can choose whether or not to pay optional charges. However:

    * if you agree to pay an optional charge, you commit to continuing to pay that charge until your child is no longer enrolled with the service
    * if you do not agree to pay an optional charge, you are confirming that you do not want the ECE service to provide the specified additional services to your child.

How 20 Hours ECE works

Currently all three- and four-year-olds at an ECE service offering 20 Hours ECE can get up to six hours a day and up to 20 hours per week of ECE with no compulsory fees. If a child does not start school when they turn five, they can continue to be eligible for 20 Hours ECE for up to 28 calendar days after their fifth birthday.

Useful information

edited to add:
Be wary of looking at a lower socio-economic centre, just make sure you check the quality of care, ratios of qualified teachers etc. Funding brackets may be different and therefore the resources available to teachers. TBH I'd fight the current ones on the surcharge. There would have to be alot of you not pay it to justify putting their rates up, and as it stands currently, they can not single out your child from using their equipment when she is there.

Edited by Flake