Are you looking for fun and exciting ways to keep your kids entertained during the school holidays? Say hello to vacation care.
Not all parents and working families have the freedom (or enough annual leave!) to take time off when their children are on school holidays. Luckily, there are a number of vacation care services that are on hand to keep your little ones safe and entertained during the school holidays. And what’s even better is that many of these vacation care services also qualify for the Childcare Subsidy (CCS), so you can enjoy more affordable childcare over the school break.
Learn more about vacation care and how it works with the Childcare Subsidy.
So, what is vacation care?
Vacation care, also known as Out of School Hours Care (OOSH) during the school term, offers supervised care and recreational activities to primary school-age children. These services don’t just operate over the school holidays, but they’re also available before and after school, as well as on pupil-free days.
During the school term, OOSH services will generally operate before school from 6.30am to 9am and after school from 3pm until 6pm. Over the school holidays and on pupil-free days, the operating hours are often extended from 7am until 6pm. With that said, the operating hours often depend on the individual service provider, so it’s always worth checking in with them to confirm their hours.
Unlike childcare services, vacation care programs often have a much stronger emphasis on recreational activities, socialising and play. While children have the opportunity to participate in group activities, they also have the option to choose quiet time instead.
Some vacation care programs offer typical activities found in childcare settings, like arts and crafts, music, dance and cooking. Other more specialised vacation care programs offer unique activities that cater to specific interests, including:
- Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
- Sports and exercise
- Performing arts, and
- Animal programs
Vacation care services can be delivered across a range of different settings, including schools, youth clubs and community centres. They can be operated by a community or private organisation. Most vacation care services operate in accordance with the National Quality Framework, which includes a quality rating system that assesses the quality of the services. You can use this rating to help you decide which service would be best suited to your child.
How much does vacation care cost?
The cost of vacation care varies depending on the service provider, but vacation care programs often start at around $60 per day. You can also expect to pay an additional fee for your child to participate in excursions, incursions and special outings during the school holidays.
The good news is that many vacation care services are government-approved, which means you might be eligible to receive the CCS to help reduce the fees.
How to claim the Childcare Subsidy for vacation care
If you’re eligible to receive the Childcare Subsidy (CCS), you might also be able to claim the CCS for vacation care at approved centres.
When it comes to vacation care, the CCS works in much the same way as it does for regular childcare. If you qualify for the CCS, it’ll be paid directly to the vacation care provider, which is then passed onto you in the form of reduced vacation care fees.
Before you can receive the CCS, your family, including the parents and child, must meet specific eligibility criteria. For parents, you need to:
- Care for your child at least two nights per fortnight or have 14% share of care, and
- Pay for childcare fees at an approved childcare service (including vacation care), and
- Meet residency rules.
The children attending care must also:
- Meet immunisation requirements,
- Not be attending secondary school (unless an exemption applies), and
- Be 13 or under (except in certain circumstances).
The amount of support that your family is eligible for depends on your family’s individual circumstances. To work out how much you’ll receive, Services Australia will look at your family’s combined income, you and your partner’s activity level, the type of approved childcare the family uses and how many children are in your care. If you’d like to learn more about the CCS rates, you can read our blog. Otherwise, you can use our CCS calculator to estimate roughly how much you could claim and your out-of-pocket vacation care expenses.
Once you’ve figured out if you qualify for the CCS, you can apply for the payment.
Start by submitting a claim online via your myGov account. You’ll need to make sure your Centrelink account is linked to your myGov account. If you’ve claimed a Centrelink payment previously, you would have been issued a Customer Reference Number (CRN). If not, you’ll be asked to prove your identity before you can get a CRN.
If you plan on claiming the CCS for your child’s vacation care, you’ll need to provide your CRN to the service provider during the enrolment process. Once you’ve submitted your CCS claim and confirmed your child’s enrolment through Centrelink, your claim will be processed and you’ll be provided with an assessment notice. The assessment will tell you whether or not you’re eligible to receive the CCS on your vacation care and how much assistance will be provided, among other details.
It’s worth noting that CCS claims can take up to 28 days to process. During this time, you’ll need to cover the full cost of vacation care until your claim is approved. With that said, CCS claims can be backdated up to 28 days but if you’d like to benefit from reduced fees from the get-go it’s worth submitting your claim before vacation care starts.
If you’re looking for high-quality vacation care in your area for your kids during the school holidays you can use our childcare search tool. Compare the different providers near you and quickly connect with them to get your little one enrolled in their service.
