You can get child care subsidy if you are a parent, step-parent, adoptive parent, grandparent, or family caregiver. For families using family day care services, the average time spent here weekly is 27 hours. Sydney, the capital of New South Wales, covers a large area with approximately 35 child care centers. Because the cost of child care is not regulated by the Australian Government, the cost of child care will vary between states and individual organizations.
You can also visit Services Australia — Accessing child care or use the Centrelink Payment and Services Finder. It's a child care service that comes to you, but it also focuses on quality early childhood education. If you can get assistance from the government, your child care costs could be much lower than the fees you are quoted. However, navigating child care costs in Australia can be a little confusing, so we've put together all the essential information below to help you.
Now that you understand the costs of child care and child care subsidy, you can begin to find the right child care for your family. Brisbane daycare centers rank just below the national NQS ranking, and centers on average “meet” the NQS. As many parents have to work outside of standard school hours, this is an extremely useful and convenient child care option. It's not the best estimate, as they are very different child care services, but the hourly rate cap sheds a more precise light on how much home care actually costs.
ABS estimates that rising child care prices will add 0.3 percentage points to the overall CPI increase in the December quarter. Kate Griffiths, from the Grattan Institute, said the timing meant that child care costs would once again become a pertinent issue. Fees have made holes in the pockets of families for decades, and calls to reform the system have resurfaced this week with the government's announcement that it will end free child care (enacted during the pandemic) next month. Once you qualify, you need to find out what level of child care subsidy your family is entitled to.
