As we approach the end of the year, it’s a time that we start thinking and preparing for the next school year ahead. While it might be tempting to wait for the festive season rush to end, by then it may be too late as spots can fill quickly.
Childcare Enrolments
Childcare Enrolments or re-enrolments for early education and kindergarten services commence a lot earlier, even before you open your first Kris Kringle gift.
Every service is unique, but it is usually around the 4th term of the school year that early learning services like Kool Kidz will send out to existing enrolled parents their 2023 re-enrolment forms. This gives families the opportunity to;
- Increase or decrease their number of care days
- Advise the service if they plan to re-enrol or not
- Advise whether their child will be departing to commence primary school or to
- Enrol a sibling (who will typically get priority of access)
This vital information is collated to determine vacancies for 2023 for each age group in each room. Once vacancies are known, offers will be sent out to families who have waitlisted their child/children.
How to increase your chances of securing a spot at your preferred early learning service
- Be flexible– Your requested days may not all be available at the time of the offer by the service, but accepting the available days increases your chances to secure additional days when a vacancy becomes free. Being enrolled in the services gives you priority on the internal waitlist.
- Waitlist in advance – The more notice provided the better. When you know your return to work date or due date of your baby, submit your Childcare Enrolment Form so that when a spot becomes available, you’re already halfway through the enrolment process.
- Mondays and Fridays– Traditionally, Mondays and Fridays are days that have vacancies in each age group. Securing a spot on one of these days will take the stress out of finding a service that can accommodate your peak Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday requests. Once again, once enrolled, your chances of changing days will be a priority when a vacancy becomes available.
- Minimum consecutive 2-day booking – The Australian Government recommends 10 to 15 hours of early learning a week for your child to benefit from early education. This equates to a minimum of two days of care. This helps your child bond with educators and allows them to get to know your child/children to help them progress with their emotional, social, and physical development. Consecutive day bookings also set a routine for your child and are less disruptive.
- Casual bookings– Some services may also offer casual bookings when vacancies become available for particular days of the week. Parents will be able to book additional days based on a first come, first serve basis. This, however, doesn’t guarantee you a permanent spot but it provides parents with options should they require an additional day.
To speed up the Childcare Enrolment process, especially for new families, make sure you can tick off this checklist
- Book a tour and inspect the service
- Fill in enrolment details and number of care days. Make sure you have first and second options
- Apply for Childcare Subsidy with Centrelink. It doesn’t matter that you don’t have an official offer but obtaining the subsidy can take weeks for approval
Book a free guided tour of any of our Kool Kidz Childcare Centres and discover why more parents are choosing Kool Kidz for their children.