Yes, Happy Campers FDC Family Day Care is approved for CCS.
Your eligibility for CCS is determined by an income and activity test. Based on the information you provide Centrelink to determine how much CCS you receive, as well as how many hours of care you are eligible for. This amount is paid directly to the service as a fee reduction.
To learn more about your individual support entitlements, please speak with Centrelink
All of our Educators are listed on this website. If any of our Educators are in the location that suits you, just contact Happy Campers FDC, we will discuss your needs and see if we can match you to an Educator that will be able to fulfil those needs for you.
All initial contact is done through Happy Campers FDC administration. If we have an Educator that can meet your needs, we arrange a time for you to go to meet them, see their home, their educational space and see some of the amazing work they have done for children in their care.
Our Educators take their role very seriously and are committed to providing consistent care and service for their families. However, even the most committed Educator every now and then, falls ill. Also, they are required to take four weeks holiday every year. An Educator will always endeavour to give the families as much notice as possible if they are not going to be able to provide service. However again, there may be times where an Educator has fallen sick through the night and you may receive an SMS from them very early in the morning to inform you that no service is available for that day.
The beauty of Family Day Care is that you have amazing consistency with just one Educator. Unfortunately the downside of Family Day Care is that Educator is only human and sometimes is not available to provide that care.
It is important that all families have a Plan B. Somewhere else that the children can go if the Educator is not available for service. Happy Campers FDC will endeavour to provide casual places with another Educator. But unfortunately, because Family Day Care places are so hard to come by, an alternate Educator needs to have those vacancies available and that is often not the case.
If there is no service available, in other words if you’re Educator is sick or on holidays, there will be no charge for care.
If the service is available, in other words if the Educator is working, then yes you do need to pay for your regular booked placement when you withdraw your child from care either through sickness or holiday.
Yes. If the Educator is working on either side of that public holiday (so the educated themselves is not on holiday) care for that day needs to be paid for at the standard rate even though your child is not physically in care with that Educator. If the Educator chooses to work on the public holiday and you would like to place your child into care there is special public holiday rate that will apply, this rate is 2.5 times their standard rate.
This is easier to understand if you think of the Educator as an employee… if the employee does not work on the public holiday, they still get paid for the day… but when they DO work on the public holiday, they receive penalty rates.
Each Educator must hold a certificate in Emergency Anaphylaxis Management. They are trained in what to look for and how to respond to a child during an anaphylactic event. If you know your child suffers from anaphylaxis you will be required to provide the Educator with their management program and their medication as prescribed by that management program. Your child’s management program will be prominently displayed, and the medication taken with the Educator and the child wherever they go. A risk minimisation plan is developed between the educator and the parent.
Because Family Day Care operates from a family home environment, we can never say that the environment will be completely free of your child’s particular allergen. Naturally, every effort will be taken to ensure that your child does not come into contact with their particular allergen. If an Educator provides food, and your child is anaphylactic to a food of some description, it might be in your best interests, and your child’s best interest to provide your child’s food for the Educator. Your child’s needs will be discussed on an individual basis.
Each Educator is required to hold a certificate in emergency asthma management. They are trained in what to look for and how to respond to a child suffering an asthma attack. If you know your child suffers from asthma you will be required to provide the Educator with their management program and their medication as prescribed by that management program. Your child’s management program will be prominently displayed, and the medication taken with the Educator and the child wherever they go.
Because Family Day Care operates prominent Educators own family home, we can never say that the environment will be completely free of your child’s particular triggers. Naturally, every effort will be made to insure the risk to your child is minimised.
This is such a hard question to answer, every child has individual needs. Happy Campers FDC welcomes the inclusion of children with particularly special needs. As a service we will match you with an Educator that will be able to care and educate your child. All Educators have different experiences, knowledge and skills. We provide a range of support to the Educator to ensure your child receives the best care and has a beautiful experience.
Please call us as we look forward to speaking with you individually about your particular child and how we can help.
Every Family Day Care Educator is unique. And as such Happy Campers FDC charges different rates for each Educator. Considerations that go into the determination of an Educator’s fees are things like: their experience and qualifications, the provision of food, the environment, the location, the supply and demand for care in that area.
Happy Campers FDC is proud of the amazing work our Educators do and we know how highly their service is valued to the families they work with. We make no apologies that we are not the cheapest Family Day Care service available… our goal is to be the best.
Please contact Happy Campers FDC and we will happily give you the rates for individual Educators in your area.
You will be invoiced on a weekly basis, and payment is via direct debit.
You will receive your invoices by email, you can also log on to our software with your parents through the parents portal and download your invoices.
All Happy Campers FDC’ Educators work with theThe Early Years Learning Framework and My Time, Our Place a framework for school age care.
The Early Years Learning Framework has a strong emphasis on play-based learning. The framework also recognises the importance of communication and language (including early literacy and numeracy) and social and emotional development. In addition, the framework has a focus on successful transition to formal schooling.
Most Pets are to be kept separate from the children at all times while the children are in care. Children are to have no access to food and water bowls, bedding, toys and kennels. Contact with animals however, can be absolutely phenomenal educational tool for children. It develops compassion, responsibility, interest in nature and gentleness. Educators may choose to include a family pet on the children’s educational program. Naturally, any time the children are engaging in an activity with an animal in the supervision level is at its highest. They will never be left alone with an animal.
The policy with TV usage states that TV cannot be left on as background noise through the day. TV however can be a phenomenal educational tool. It is a window to the world. Educators may choose to include particular TV programmes as part of their educational program. TV may also be used for older children at rest time. It is important for all children to have adequate time to rest. Naturally, all TV programs are appropriate for age and interest.l.
. It is up to the individual Educator what times they choose to provide care.They are often happy to negotiate a time outside their scheduled hours.
Please give us a call to discuss your individual needs.
All of the educators have a minimum of hours they charge for. Like their fees this varies between educators.
Care can be provided on weekends with some Educators. It is up to the individual Educator if they choose to provide care on weekends. Not all Educators choose to work on weekends, so a weekend booking either permanent or casual may not necessarily be with your regular Educator.
Fees:
Saturday – 1.5 x Standard Fee;
Sunday – 2 x Standard Fee
CCS is only applicable on weekends if the family can provide evidence to Happy Campers FDC that the care is needed for work, study or respite purposes. If care is needed for a purpose other than those mentioned, (for example you have a wedding to go to) CCS will not apply and you will be required to pay 100% of the Educators weekend fee.
Care can be provided overnight with some Educators. It is up to the individual Educator if they choose to provide care overnight. Not all Educators choose to work overnight, so an overnight booking either permanent or casual may not necessarily be with your regular Educator.
CCS is only applicable overnight if the family can provide evidence to Happy Campers FDC that the care is needed for work, study or respite purposes. If care is needed for a purpose other than those mentioned, (for example – visiting a sick relative) CCS will not apply and you will be required to pay 100% of the Educators overnight fee.
Care can be provided in the evening with some Educators. It is up to the individual Educator if they choose to provide care in the evening. Not all Educators choose to work in the evening, so an evening booking either permanent or casual may not necessarily be with your regular Educator.
CCS is only applicable in the evening if the family can provide evidence to Happy Campers FDC that the care is needed for work, study or respite purposes. If care is needed for a purpose other than those mentioned, (for example – date night) CCS will not apply and you will be required to pay 100% of the Educators overnight fee.
Absolutely. If your Educator has a vacancy or a child is absent from the Educator’s care you may use that space on a casual basis. If your Educator does not have any spaces available on a day where you need additional care, you may contact Happy Campers FDC and we will endeavour to find a space with another Educator for you.
.It is up to the individual Educator what times they choose to provide care.
Please give us a call to discuss your individual needs.
Absolutely! It is highly encouraged that the Educators take the children out on excursions. There is so much to be learnt out in the community. Some Educators have a suitable vehicle that can be fitted with appropriate car seats for all the children. These Educators can have a list of many different places that they get out and about to. These may include local shops, libraries, playgrounds, Bunnings (kids love Bunnings!) and even may include other Educators homes for playgroup and socialisation. You will need to give your permission for excursions and will have the opportunity to permit/deny permission to each individual location. Educators that don’t have appropriate cars, are encouraged to walk with the children to local playgrounds and local shops.
There are two documents that an Educator needs to prepare before any child can be taken out of the Educators home.
The first is called a Risk Assessment and Management Plan. This document details the excursion, the method of getting to the excursion, its purpose what shall be taken with the Educator and any risks at this location may have. The Educator needs to consider those risks and provide the strategies for handling for minimising the risk. This document needs to be approved by Happy Campers FDC and needs to be available for each parent to view if they choose to.
The second document is the permissions document for each family. The Educator will ask you to sign your permission for your child to attend excursions to each individual location. You may be happy for the Educator to take your child to most of them but then maybe one or two places that you are not comfortable with your child going. This is fine, the Educator will program outings around the permissions of the children in care for a particular day.
Golly, this is a big question! There are so many measures that are taken to ensure the safety of your children.
Home safety check – before a child can be placed in care and again on an annual basis the Service performs at home safety check. We go through the home and garden room by room ensuring that any risk to children are minimised in accordance with the regulations
Working with children check – each adult in the home is required to hold a working with children check.
Police check – each adult in the home is required to provide Happy Campers FDC with a police check
Daily Checklist – Before children come into care each day, the educator is required to go through a checklist of potential hazards to ensure the home is ready for your child(ren).
Happy Campers FDC Policies and Procedures – The policies and procedures are written to ensure that our Educators all follow best practice when it comes to maintaining the safety and supervision of children in their care. Educators must adhere to these procedures to remain registered with Happy Campers FDC.
Education –The educators must all have completed:
- First aid HLTAID004 in the past 3 years and its currency maintained by annual CPR. this incorporates Anaphylaxis and Asthma management.
- Food Handling (only required for Educators that provide food
Equipment – Every Educator must have:
- a well-stocked first aid kit for their home,
- a first aid kit to take with them on outings
- an well stocked emergency bag
- a fire blanket/extinguisher
- Emergency evacuation notices
Practice – Educators must practice emergency evacuations with the children in their care every three months.
Supervision of Educators – Our educators are physically visited by Happy Campers FDC co-ordinators for supervision, mentoring and support and minimum of once a month. They may also be “virtually” visited via Skype any time at all. These visits are never scheduled and the Educator is required by law to allow immediate access to their property.
You can either call our family hotline number…0407 704 115 or
You can complete our enrolment form online. You simply need to go to Enquire about putting your child into care page and follow the prompts.
All the children in care will have adequate time for rest and sleep, based on their individual needs. You can request a copy of the sleep and rest policy.
Environment – the most obvious difference between Centre Based Care and Family Day Care is the care takes place in a family home. The centre is purpose-built, commercial space. A Family Day Care residence is a home. In the purpose built childcare room there would be a place for everything and everything would go in its place. Every family home, even yours, has pockets of mess and not everything has a place. Even so, they are warm, comfortable, and full of love.
Ratios – in a long day care centre the ratios of Educators to children change depending on the age of the child. In a baby room where children are under the age of one the ratio is 1 Educator to 4 Infants. However, when you get up to 3 years old the ratios are 1 Educator to 15 Children. In Family Day Care, the ratios did not change as a child gets older. The ratios will remain 1 Educator to 4 Pre-schoolers
Consistency of care – in a long day care centre of room will have more than one Educator. With varying work hours, job sharing, more than one Educator in a room, your child will experience of many different Educators throughout the week. With Family Day Care, there is just one Educator. That one person will be responsible for the care and education of your child every minute that they are in care. The relationship that this builds between the Educator and the child is remarkable. The closeness and the individual attention that your child will experience is beautiful and it creates such a warm loving space.
There is a significant process that goes into the selection of Educators. Because Happy Campers FDC proudly puts its name on every Educator, the whole company reputation is in the hands of each and every one. The process involves an interview, reference check, certificate verification, orientation and considerable documentation.
Educators need:
- To have or be actively working toward at least a Certificate III in an approved care or education course. Many of our Educators are Diploma Qualified.
- First Aid HLTAID004 with its currency maintained by annual CPR updates. this also includes emergency Anaphylaxis and Asthma management.
- Food Handling (if food is provided)
Residents – All adult residents of the home are interviewed by Happy Campers FDC, they must have a Working With Children Check and a Police Check.
The Educator is permitted to have 4 children aged from 0 – school aged and 3 school aged children under 13.
This means that through the school term, there will be 4 young children in care. During school holidays, older siblings can join in the fun.
It is up to the individual Educator to choose to provide food or not.
Check the Our Educators page for details about the ones in your area.
Absolutely!
