As the holiday season approaches, you might be wondering what the policy is when it comes to childcare and public holidays. Or, more specifically, whether or not you have to pay for childcare on public holidays when your childcare service is closed.
Here’s what you need to know about public holidays at childcare and where to find the information you’re after.
Understanding childcare fees
From family day care and childcare centres to outside school hours care, there are a number of different types of childcare services that range in fees. Each childcare provider will have their own fee structure. But what exactly do these fees cover?
Providers must cover a range of expenses to maintain a safe, engaging and high-quality environment for children. Here’s a quick breakdown of the expenses that are built into childcare fees:
- Staff salaries and training: Childcare providers, especially childcare centres, often employ a number of qualified early childhood educators and support staff to ensure children are cared for by skilled professionals. Depending on the size of the service, they may also have administrative staff costs to cover. These salaries form a substantial part of the fees, and ongoing training costs are often included to help staff stay up-to-date on the latest regulations and best practices in early childhood education.
- Facility costs: Childcare services that offer on-site care, like family day care and childcare centres, have to cover a number of costly overheads, like rent or mortgage payments, utilities (electricity, water, internet) and building maintenance. This helps keep the environment safe, comfortable and clean.
- Educational materials and resources: Many centres provide a curriculum with structured activities and learning resources such as books, art supplies, toys and educational tools. Fees contribute to keeping these materials current and replenishing them as needed.
- Meals and snacks: Some childcare providers offer meals and snacks, which are built into the childcare fees. This cost can also include menu planning by nutritionists to support children’s health and dietary needs.
- Insurance and compliance costs: Childcare providers must comply with strict industry standards and regulations. As part of these requirements, childcare providers are typically required to hold insurance and specific licenses, the cost of which is accounted for in their fee structure.
- Additional programs and activities: Some centres may include special programs (like music, sports or language activities) in their fees, adding further enrichment to the child’s experience.
Typical public holiday policies
Just as every service provider will have their own fee structure, they also have their own policies when it comes to public holidays. Approved early childhood education and care providers are required to have a written policy in place that details the setting and collection of fees. This document should also outline their policy when it comes to public holidays.
Most childcare providers continue to charge fees for public holidays, even if they’re closed. These fees are charged to cover the continuing expenses that they need to cover. So, if your child is booked into childcare every Monday and Friday, you’ll still have to pay for their care on Good Friday and Easter Monday.
That said, each provider has their own public holiday policies, so be sure to check your individual agreement to understand your obligations.
Why do childcare providers still charge on public holidays?
As a parent or caregiver, it might seem unfair that you have to pay for childcare on public holidays when the service is closed, but it’s important to understand why providers continue to charge fees.
As is the case with most workplaces, just because regular service availability is impacted by public holidays every now and then doesn’t mean that their regular expenses are put on hold on those days. It’s for this reason that most childcare providers continue to charge on public holidays.
Each day, regardless of whether or not a childcare service is open, they need to cover a range of costs, including fixed costs and operational expenses. Fixed costs, like rent, utilities and staff salaries, accrue regardless of closures. Not to mention, attracting and retaining qualified staff requires consistent pay, which is factored into childcare fees.
Beyond the expenses themselves, predictable income from fees, including public holidays, plays a key role in budget planning for providers. By forecasting income and expenses, providers are better able to manage resources to ensure they provide a quality service.
Exceptions and alternative care options
As a working parent, chances are you won’t have enough annual leave to cover the school holidays. And while you might be able to take a period of time off during the school holidays, depending on your line of work and personal circumstances, you might need to look into alternative care on public holidays.
If you have family or friends nearby, it can be worth reaching out to them to see if they’re able to look after your little ones on public holidays when they can’t attend their regular care.
If that’s not an option, it could be worth considering alternative care options, like nannies or babysitters, who may be able to provide care services outside of regular hours or on public holidays. You can use the Care for Kids childcare search tool to find alternative childcare providers that are local to you.
If your child attends centre-based care, some providers offer a ‘holiday discount’ for a certain number of weeks per financial year. Alternatively, other providers allow for swap days to help parents make up for public holidays. This information should be detailed in their fee policy, but be sure to reach out to your provider for any clarification.
Do public holidays impact the Child Care Subsidy (CCS)?
If your family receives the CCS, you might be wondering how public holidays impact your payments.
The good news is that the CCS continues to apply on public holidays. This means that eligible families will still receive the subsidy for booked childcare days even if the service is closed for a holiday. Ultimately, this helps to maintain affordability for families, as CCS still subsidises fees for these days based on their typical attendance schedule.
The CCS also allows for 42 absences per child, per financial year. Public holidays count as absences if they fall on a regular childcare day, meaning families don’t lose CCS for these days. If all 42 absences are used, families may be able to claim additional absences for specific circumstances. That said, public holidays are typically not considered an additional absence reason.
Tips for approaching the holiday season as a parent
When it comes to navigating the holiday season as a working parent, the key is to be prepared. Familiarise yourself with your childcare provider’s policies and take note of the terms detailed in your childcare agreement to understand public holiday charges.
If your childcare service offers holiday discounts or swap days, reach out to your provider in advance to organise an alternative arrangement ahead of time. And if you’re not able to come to a suitable arrangement with your childcare provider, it could be worth exploring alternative options. From nannies and babysitters to family, friends and even child swap arrangements, there are a number of different options you can use to help ease the holiday burden.
