Placing young children in childcare centres and early learning facilities is becoming increasingly popular in Australia. Of course, there are fees attached to child care and that’s where the new child care subsidy can be of assistance.
This article will be taking a closer look at the child care subsidy and just how it can benefit stay-at-home mums.
The Subsidy Makes Child Care More Affordable For Everyone
For families who are eligible to take advantage of the child care subsidy offered by the federal government through Services Australia, the subsidy offsets a portion of the fees payable to the childcare facility. How much money you’ll save can vary but the subsidy certainly makes daycare more affordable and within reach of just about every Australian family.
You must first meet the eligibility criteria to be able to apply for the subsidy, such as the following:
- Be caring for a child 13 years or younger who is not currently attending secondary school
- Be the person responsible for paying the child care fees
- Residency and immunisation requirements need to be met
- Your child must be enrolled in an approved child care facility
If you have more than one child aged 5 or under, you might be eligible to receive a higher rate of child care subsidy.
Available For Couples and Single Parents
The subsidy is not just available for couples only. Single parents can also apply for the child care subsidy, so long as the parent responsible for the child performs at least 8 hours of activity per fortnight. Recognised activities include at least one of the following:
- Paid work
- Training and study
- Unpaid work
- Volunteer work
- Job searching
- Starting a business
Work Out Your Fees With a Child Care Cost Estimator
The amount you will save on child care can vary, so the easiest way to get an estimate of what your fees will be after the subsidy has been applied is to use a child care subsidy calculator. You will find these handy and simple calculators on the websites of many of the country’s child care centres.
Keep in mind that the results the calculators provide are generally only estimates but a calculator will give you a fair idea of what fees you’ll be liable for once the subsidy has been applied.
Your Child Will Receive a Head Start
While many stay-at-home mums do their best to educate their preschool-aged kids in the basics, it can be a big ask to be both a parent and a teacher. Professional child care facilities and early education centres employ staff who are trained in all aspects of early childhood development, including teaching children the basics of academics before they commence primary school.
With the child care subsidy, you’ll be able to afford to enrol your child in an early learning centre, where they’ll receive care, nurturing, and tutoring and become engaged in a well-rounded range of self-development activities.
Each and every day, your child will learn new things. They’ll also make new friends, become more sociable and confident, and learn how to express themselves, along with physical, emotional and cerebral development.
Early education centres provide a curriculum that will give your child the very best start in life and they will commence school with confidence and high self-esteem.
Stay-At-Home Mums Will Have More Time
With the assistance of the child care subsidy enabling you to send your child to a quality daycare centre, you’ll have more time to focus on other tasks, such as chores, starting a business, working online to earn extra money, seeking paid work opportunities, preparing food, socialising with friends or anything else you want or need to do each day.
With some separation throughout the day, children learn to become more independent at an early age and both child and parent will likely improve their bonding sessions when they are reunited at the end of the day.
In Conclusion
The new child care subsidy opens up new doors of opportunity for both the parents and the child. Children will benefit from everything they learn while attending the centre and stay-at-home mums will have peace of mind knowing that their child is getting a head start in life.
