Admin Matters

To enrol at Treetops Early Learning Centre you will need to complete an enrolment form to send back to the Centre Director. The Director will also give you a Direct Debit Form for you to complete for the payment of fees. You will need to provide relevant information to the Centre e.g. Centrelink info, Immunisation, Medical Info etc. All other questions can be answered by the Centre Director in relation to your start dates and availability.

Payment may be made by Direct Debit or Credit Card (surcharges apply to credit card transactions).

Fees are charged for all days your child is booked into the Centre, including Public Holidays, sick days and annual holidays.

Payment of fees must be kept up to date, failure to do so could result in the cancelation of care and the collection of monies owing.

The Child Care Subsidy (CCS) is a payment made by the Australian Government to help families with the cost of quality child care and early education. This is paid directly to the service to reduce your weekly fees.

Three things will determine a family’s level of Child Care Subsidy:

1. A family’s combined income will determine the percentage of subsidy they are eligible to receive.
2. An activity test will determine how many hours of subsidised care families can access, up to a maximum of 100 per fortnight.
3. The type of child care service will determine the hourly rate cap. Some basic requirements must be satisfied for an individual to be eligible to receive the Child Care Subsidy.

These include:

• The age of the child (must be 13 or under and not attending secondary school).
• The child meeting immunisation requirements.
• The individual, or their partner, meeting the residency requirements. The number of hours of subsidised child care that families will have access to per fortnight will be determined by a three-step activity test. In two parent families both parents, unless exempt, must meet the activity test. In the case where both parents meet different steps of the activity test, the parent with the lowest entitlement will determine the hours of subsidised care for the child.
• Low income families on $70,015 or less a year who do not meet the activity test will be able to access 24 hours of subsided care per child per fortnight without having to meet the activity test, as part of the Child Care Safety Net.

Find more information here

A minimum of four (4) weeks written notice is required to cancel your child’s enrolment.

A late fee of $5.00 per minute will be incurred by any parent collecting their child after 6.30pm.

This fee will be added to your Direct Debit or Credit Card charge and will go towards staff wages and the centre running after closing hours.

The centre supplies all nappies, foodstuffs, and in the case of older children, drinks being water and/or milk.

For infants who require bottles please supply bottles (sterilised) and formula. Our staff will prepare bottles as per the manufacturer’s requirements. Infant food requirements are also prepared on-site. Please supply cows milk for those children no longer on formula but who still require a bottle.

Spare changes of clothing along with any comforters e.g. dummy, ‘ruggy’ or that special comfort toy are also advisable. All items should be packed in a suitable bag e.g. child’s back pack and labeled with your child’s name. Hats are necessary for outdoor play. For those children who wear nappies, a nappy for them to go home in should also be included in their bag.

All parents are encouraged to conduct a minimum of one (1) orientation visit before they leave their child in our care. These visits allow your child to become familiar with the environment they will be in and the staff who will be caring for them. It also allows you to share important information such as, routines about your child. The more comfortable you are in the centre the quicker your child will settle into care.

Upon arrival at the centre you must sign your child in and also sign your child out on departure. This is a government regulation. Should someone other than yourself be collecting your child from care please inform us, and, if the person has not been to the centre previously, ask them to carry some form of ID – a drivers licence is perfect. If we have not been informed we will contact you for permission to release your child into the care of another person.

The centre has an “open door” policy and parents and families are welcome to visit the centre at any time.

Staff are available to discuss your child’s needs at arrival and departure, and, if a more in depth discussion is required a mutually agreed time can be arranged.

We welcome parent’s comments, and feedback. If you are feeling unsure about something, please speak to the staff in your child’s section. If you feel your concerns have not been dealt with in an appropriate way or you still have concerns after speaking with staff please contact the Manager.

XPLOR HOME

Connect with those who matter most

The easiest way to keep track of your child’s day is with Xplor Home!

LEARNING JOURNEY

• View your child’s learning, featuring all the beautiful photos and videos captured throughout the day
• Learn about your Child’s progress and re-discover their passions
• Invite and share those special moments securely with other family members.

BOOKING INTO CHILD CARE

• Quickly and easily book into extra child care sessions when you need it most
• Send messages to your centre to let them know if you’re running late or will be absent

HEALTH & WELLBEING

• Monitor your child’s health at a glance with easy analytics covering sleep, nutrition, toileting and sun protection.

FINANCE AND CHILD CARE SUBSIDY

• Simplify your child care financials so they’re easy to manage
• Quickly see how much child care subsidy you are receiving and when payments are due

FEATURES AND BENEFITS

• Enabled notifications so you can change the settings on those you choose to receive
• Invite Hub Guests to sign your child in/out on the Xplor Hub tablet
• Improved sign in and out with QR codes
• Separate Health and Learning Timelines
• Emergency contact and Guardian Management
• Improved mobile bookings
• Childcare Subsidy Management, financial statements and payment integration

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Mealtimes are relaxing affairs, allowing for children to be independent, making choices and feeding themselves where appropriate. Staff are encouraged to sit with children, join in conversations and make mealtimes a social event. Infant foods are prepared according to individual needs and space is provided should you wish to breast feed.

We endeavour to meet all children’s dietary requirements, due to health or cultural reasons, but on some occasions may not be able to meet these needs and the parent will be requested to supply their child’s food/drink for the day.

All meals are offered to all children – if a child chooses not to eat a main meal for whatever reason they will still be offered a choice from the platter that follows.

The centre will not offer any nut based products. Under the “Food Safety Program” the centre can not accept any food supplied by a parents, to be shared by all children.

As it is difficult to use and store children’s toothbrushes at the centre we will encourage dental hygiene throughout the centre by encouraging a no sugar policy in our menu and providing fresh water to drink throughout the day.

The centre will not accept any child who is unwell. Should a child become unwell at the centre the parent will be contacted to collect the child preferably within the hour.

In the case of any illness the exclusion period as per “Staying Healthy in Child Care” and the Centre Policy, will apply. A doctor’s certificate of fitness may be required before the child re-enters care.

If the child is in need of urgent medical treatment an ambulance will be called and the parents contacted as soon as possible.

As a high temperature can be a sign of illness any child with a temperature over 37.8 will be excluded from the centre.

Paracetomol based medications will not be administered to children with a temperature, fever or pain, as this often masks the symptoms of illness.

Prescription medication/ cream will only be administered if the pharmacy label is attached stating name of child, times of administration and amount to be administered.

Over the counter medications/ creams need to be accompanied by a medical form stating child’s name, dosage and times and signed off by the pharmacist or have a pharmacy label attached stating child’s name, dosage and times.

All medications need to be written up and signed off by the parent in the Medication Register.

Staff at the centre have had First Aid training. All accidents at the centre are recorded on an incident form, that includes what happened and treatment, which you will be asked to sign when you collect your child.

Should staff feel the injury requires a doctor/dentist treatment you will be contacted to collect your child.

If a serious injury occurs an ambulance will be called and you will be notified as soon as possible.

We aim to promote an awareness of the dangers of exposure to the sun, use of appropriate skin protection (clothing and sunscreen) and actively encourage a role model life style practices that will offer protection from the sun.

All children, staff and visitors to the centre are encouraged to wear broad brimmed or legionnaire style hats when involved in outdoor activities.

All children are provided with hats to wear when involved in outdoor activities.

Parents are requested to ensure their children are appropriately dressed - no singlet or shoestring strap tops.

During the warmer months of September to April according to the UV rating for the day outdoor play will be scheduled or conducted in the shaded areas of the yard.

Staff will apply SPF 30+ broadspectrum sunscreen supplied by the centre to all children over the age of 12 months, at least 15 minutes before children go into the outdoor area. Infants (under 12 months) will be kept out of direct sunlight and always protected by shade, hats and clothing.

If after visiting the centre and reading through your parent handbook, you have any questions please contact the centre.