There are a variety of childcare services available in Australia, including centre-based and home-based care. Read more here.
1. Family Day Care
Family day care is a form of licensed care that is provided to small groups of children in the private home of a carer under a family day care scheme. Carers are supported by the scheme’s coordination unit. This form of care does not include care in the child's own home or care by relatives.
Contact a Family Day Care Representative in your area:
- St Lucia Family Day Care, T: 3395 7044
- Ipswich Family Day Care, T: 3202 2066
- Gatton Family Day Care, T: 4632 9777
- Check the White pages telephone directory under 'Family Day Care'.
Further details can be found at Family Day Care Association of Queensland
2. Out of School Hours Care
Formerly called Before and After School and Vacation Care, ‘Out of School Hours; programs are available for children between the ages of 5 and 12 years. These programs are usually attached to State Primary Schools, though run independently.
When you are considering which Primary school to send your child to, it is suggested that you check with the school to see if their school program includes an ‘Out of School Hours’ care program.
There is a fee for ‘Out of School Hours’ programs which parents must pay directly to the provider.
3. Licensed centre based childcare
Centre based care and education is provided for children up to school age (birth to 12 years). These childcare facilities are licensed and monitored by Queensland Government. There are a range of types of centre based services available in Queensland including:
Long day care centres: usually open Monday to Friday between 7 am and 6 pm for at least 48 weeks of the year.
Kindergartens: generally provide care and education for children from three and a half years to school age.
Limited hours care services: operate for no longer than 20 hours in a week with a licensed capacity of not more than 30 children.
Occasional Care: services offer care to children on an occasional basis.
School age care services: offer care for school age children Before and After school and during School Vacations
- Childcare centres may care for pre school age children for half a day, a full day or by the week. Not all childcare centres are the same or provide the same service: some Childcare Centres take all ages of children up to 5 and include a Pre-School program; some provide only childcare services for children up to the age of 5; some provide only Kindergarten and Pre-School programs.
- Many centres have long waiting lists. Be sure to place your child's name on a waiting list (or more than one), even before they arrive.
- Please note that no free childcare options are available. Childcare can cost up to $ 75 per day per child in some centres. The cost varies between childcare centres and depends on the age of the child. Additional costs may include excursions and special events.
The following table is provided to assist you to make contact with a childcare centre prior to arrival if you wish. It is in no way a comprehensive list, nor are the facilities on this list recommended by UQ. The facilities listed are on-campus or close to the campus and are listed on this basis.
Childcare centres may be contacted directly:
The following websites list additional child care services. A SPECIAL FEATURE OF THE CARE FOR KIDS WEBSITE IS THAT IT MAY HELP YOU LOCATE VACANCIES IN A CHILD CARE CENTRE. When using the ‘careforkids’ website, it is helpful to know the part of town of your campus, eg, for Herston campus, look under Brisbane City, then Bowen Hills or Bowen Bridge.
When using the ‘candk’ website, use the name of your campus (St. Lucia, Herston, Gatton) when searching. Students studying at the P.A. Hospital should use the suburb of Annerley, and those at the Prince Charles Hospital, use the suburb of Chermside.
and
For suburbs near the St. Lucia campus, look under Brisbane City, then Western Suburbs, and Auchenflower.
For more information on childcare, please contact one of the International Student Advisers. Your choice of childcare centre will depend on where you live, as well as availability, and it is important to discuss these issues before you make any decisions.
Eligibility for Child Care Benefit
International students who are directly sponsored by the Australian government (AusAID ADS, ALA, IPRS, ACIAR and ENDEAVOUR) are eligible to apply to the Australian government for assistance with paying child care expenses for young children.
Child Care Benefit may only be applied for in Australia after organising a place in a child care centre. An immunisation record is required for any child under the age of 7. More details will be given at Family Information sessions in O Week, or contact an International Student Adviser at any time. Married students eligible for child care benefit who will not be accompanied by their spouse and will need child care services for children under the age of 12 are advised to contact an International Student Adviser IMMEDIATELY for further information.
Useful links:
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