Fees & Subsidies

 

Neighborhood House is a non-profit organisation.

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Our fees have been approved by both the Committee of Management and the Federal Government to meet the needs of our current budget.  All fees are subject to review in January of each year.

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2024 Fees are as follows:

10 hour day = $168

 

Child Care Subsidy (CCS)

The Child Care Subsidy (CCS) commenced 02 July 2018 and replaced the Child Care Benefit (CCB) and Child Care Rebate (CCR) with a single, means tested subsidy.  Application for this CCS is the responsibility of the Parents and is accessed through the MyGov website.

There are three factors that influence a family's level of CCS, namely;

• Combined annual family income

• Activity test - activity level of both parents

• Service type

The CCS is generally paid directly to Service Providers to be passed on to families as a fee reduction.  Families make a co-contribution to their child care fees and pay to the provider the difference between the fee charged and the subsidy amount.

 

Methods of Payment

Fees are paid via either an automatic Direct Debit request or automatic Credit card with Visa or Mastercard (1% surcharged incurred).

Invoices for all payments are issued monthly.

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Outstanding Fees

Any families with outstanding fees at the end of any given year will not be eligible for care in the following year.

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As the Centre is a non-profit organisation, it is vital that the service 'breaks even' at the end of each financial year.  As fees make up a significant part of cash flow, it is important that these payments be kept in advance or at least up to date.  Parents are made aware of this when they enrol their children.

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The Centre does have a policy for consistently late fee-payers.

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Shareholding

All new parents must become shareholders and therefore purchase a $1.00 share.

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Membership Fee

We are obliged to charge a $20.00 per year pro-rata membership fee to all families joining our Co-operative.

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Cancellations and Unused Times

Holding fee

The Office of Child Care's approved fee structure requires us to charge the regular fee for your child's place at the Centre if your child is absent.  With increasing costs and government cutbacks our subsidy requires total occupancy at all times.  For extended leave of absence parents may request in writing that their child's place be taken by another child on our waiting list.

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If the place is re-booked a holding fee of half that child's regular fee will be charged, otherwise the regular fee will be charged.  If a booking is unused for more than two weeks without any notice to the staff, the booking will be cancelled immediately and permanently.

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Please remember - If you child will not be attending the Centre due to illness or unforeseen circumstances, it would be appreciated that you let the staff know as soon as is practically possible for planning/programming and catering purposes.

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Public Holidays

No service is provided on all State Government approved public holidays.  As a result the Co-operative has decided that no charge will be due for these days.  A sign is placed on the front door advising of these closures in advance.

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Late 'Pick-Up's

Neighborhood House closes at 6:00pm.  If in an emergency you cannot collect your chid, parents are expected to phone and inform staff and to make alternative arrangements.

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It is vital that all parents be punctual when picking up their children.  This is a legal and safety requirement.

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In the event a child is not collected by their usual time of departure or by 6 pm - when the Centre is officially closed - the following steps will be taken:

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1. The parent/guardian will be contacted by telephone

2. If attempts to contact parents fail the emergency person specified on the child's enrolment form will be contacted.

3. If repeated attempts to contact the above people fail - and it is after 6:30pm or at the discretion of the Director - the local Police will be contacted to assist in locating the parents or guardian of the child involved.

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Early Arrivals

Neighborhood House opens at 8:00am.  We ask that parents not arrive before this time as the day's program is not yet in operation and the staff are not yet available to supervise children in the Centre.

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Permanent Cancellation of Care

A minimum of four full weeks' notice in writing is required for families leaving the Centre or adjusting their booked days.