Family Day Care in Australia

What is Family Day Care and how is it run?


Changes in society and economy has led families, especially those with young children, to put children in care while both parents work. One of the options is family day care. But for those who are new the world of child care, this area of child care may be very foreign and sometimes even daunting.

Family day care is what the name said it is. It is day care from someone else's home. Similar to child care centres, but it is usually run by one person.

In Australia, family day cares are under the big umbrella of Family Day Care Australia. They, in turn license Schemes to train and approve individuals to open their own family day care.

Family day cares provide care for children from six weeks through to 12 years of age. All carers stick to a strict carer:child ratio of 1:7. The seven children include either four or five preschoolers at any one time and two or three school age children to make up the seven. It differs from state to state, but regulations are in place to make it uniform.

It is a small group of children and so children are able to interact more with others and receive more attention from the carer.

Just like any other child care centres, family day cares also have programmes for the day for the children. Anything from indoors to outdoors, from physical to emotional to intellectual, carers are equipped to provide these activities for children and tailor to their individual needs.

With family day care, it is in the home of the carer and so the opening hours would depend on the carer itself. The standard operating hours Mondays to Fridays, 8am to 6pm. In cases where care is required outside the standard hours, parents can negotiate with carers on their availability.

Carers running family day care would have had experience with children, either of their own or from work or community groups. All carers have a current Senior First Aid Certificate and a police check on their backgrounds. As with all other child care centres, family day cares are also insured with public liability, so you can be assured that if anything happens while children are in care, they are covered under insurance.

Family day care also abide by regulations and go through stringent checks to gain accreditation. There is a state licensing from each state to the Schemes and a National Childcare Accreditation Council ensures quality assurance.

However, there is one element that family day care is unlike childcare and that is the fees structure. Family day cares charge by the hour or half hourly whereas child care centres have a flat rate for the whole day.

So, depending on your needs and child's maturity, family day care might be the option for the working parents.

Source :
Family Day Care Australia : http://www.familydaycare.com.au/

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