Parents

Child care in Coffs Harbour

Information for parents

Personalised Child Care in Coffs Harbour

Coffs Harbour Family Day Care is the only local not-for-profit provider of home-based child care in Coffs Harbour and beyond. Our service has been run by members of the local Coffs Harbour community since 1984.
While our educators provide the primary care for your child in their home, Coffs Harbour Family Day Care manages and administers the service. Your first contact is with us and we will organise your request for child care in Coffs Harbour and monitor your child’s welfare in care.

Coffs Harbour Family Day Care sets the fees for each service. The Child Care Subsidy is provided by the Australian Government to assist with the cost of care.

We have a network of educators in the wider Coffs Harbour area. We know the days and hours they are offering care and will try to match your needs with regard to location and hours with the most suitable educator for your child.

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  • All our educators have been approved as suitable persons to work with children and providing a safe home environment.
  • Educators have regular Working with Children Checks and a National Police Check.
  • Our educators care for groups of up to 4 children not attending school and up to a total of 7 children under 13, which includes the educator’s own children if any.
  • Our educators implement appropriate programs which include stimulating experiences and learning environments that follow the child’s interests and will assist them in their development and learning.
  • Coffs Harbour Family Day Care provides full support and training to our educators to ensure their professionalism. Staff visit educators on a regular basis to support and monitor the quality of care provided.
  • We provide a 24 hour on-call service for families and educators.
  • Coffs Harbour Family Day Care is regulated under the National Regulations and Law.

Parents handbook

Coffs Harbour Family Day Care is a professional home-based education and care service offering quality, flexible services for the changing needs of families on the Coffs Coast.

We are the your only local not for profit family day care service and have been providing quality childcare for the Coffs Harbour community for 35 years. Our long association with the local community ensures that we are in the best position to find a suitable and highly qualified educator in your area to care for your child.

ParentHandbook-2024

Enrolment process

1.

Parent makes contact with the service and discusses care needs.

2.

Service matches family with educator.

3.

Family visits educator’s service for an enrolment interview.

4.

Online enrolment link sent out to parent.

5.

Parent to complete and submit enrolment. On submission of enrolment, parent to confirm enrolment via MyGov website.

6.

 Parent provided with emails & instructions for signing children in/out, family hand book, service policies & procedure and access to parent portal.

Our fees

Coffs Harbour Family Day Care sets the fees for each service.

The Child Care Subsidy is provided by the Australian Government to assist with the cost of care. Fees currently range from $10.20 per hour to $14.50 per hour.

FAQs

Family Day Care is a service that is home based and therefore offers a familiar environment to the child. The intimacy of the home based setting encourages a caring, social interaction between the children and develops the skills for a good start in life. Family Day Care is a nurturing environment for babies and, along with the toddlers, preschoolers and after school children, offering the opportunity for the interaction and challenges of mixed ages.

All Family Day Care Schemes are regulated by Education and Care Services National Regulations. The numbers of children in each Family Day Care home is regulated.

Quality is maintained by the educators themselves and the Co-ordination Unit that visit educators on a regular basis. In-service and induction training is provided for educators to ensure their professionalism. The National Quality Framework was implemented in 2012. All child care services are assessed and rated against National Quality Standards from 1 Feb 2018.
We are proudly MEETING the National Quality Standard for providing quality education and care. Our rating can be viewed here.

Educators can care for 4 children under school age and up to a total of 7 children under 13 years of age. Coffs Harbour Family Day Care recommends that educators, where possible, only have two children under 2 years of age in care at any one time.

Educators offer a variety of hours and days for care. The Co-ordination Unit has a list of the hours and days each Educator is prepared to work and will try to match the parents’ needs to the Educator.

A Family Day Care Service consists of the Educators who provide the primary care in the home and the Co-ordination Unit office is where the service is managed and administered. The parents’ first contact is with the Co-ordination Unit.

The Co-ordination Unit manages and administers the Family Day Care Scheme. The staff recruit, select, coach, support and monitor educators. They organise the family requests for care and monitor the children’s welfare in care.

Educators work within an approved learning framework which guides interactions with children, families and colleagues. The program is developed based on the educators sound knowledge of each child so that the experiences, interactions and routines each child is involved in are relevant to them, respectful of their background and recognise and build on their current interest and abilities.

Coffs Harbour Family Day Care is responsible for setting the fees at each education and care venue. The fees may vary at different locations. Child Care Subsidy is available for families.

Yes, you can place your child’s name on our placement list at any time. An application for care can be completed on the front page of our website or if you prefer, by calling the office on 02 6652 7819.

Many Educators transport children in vehicles to engage in community based activities such as play session, shopping or park play. Educators are required to have a safety check regarding the appropriate child care restraints and are required to conduct and document risk assessments on all excursion venues and prepare excursion management plans. Educators are required to discuss their routine excursions with families at the time of enrolments and provide families access to the risk assessments. Parents must provide written authorities for excursions.

Educators are required to plan and program for children in care. Daily routines are displayed and child development coordinators discuss the curriculum with educators during regular home visits. During the enrolment process, educators will discuss with you the preferred way to communicate with you throughout the day (email, text, journals etc.) Documentation about your child’s program and progress will be available to you in a range of formats. Parents are encouraged to examine the happenings of the day so they can discuss them with their Educator and their child.

Contact Coffs Harbour Family Day Care on 02 6652 7819.

Enquire Now

Have any questions? Call us on 02 6652 7819 or email us at admin@coffsfdc.org.au. One of our team will be happy to help!