After a long wait on a number of different childcare waitlists, your little one has finally been offered a position at your service of choice. There’s no denying that trying to secure your child a place at childcare can be quite the process, but what happens once you’ve accepted a spot?
Read on to find out what the next steps are once you accept a place at a childcare service.
Navigating the childcare enrolment process
Regardless of whether you plan on applying for the Child Care Subsidy (CCS), all children who attend approved childcare must be officially enrolled under the Family Assistance Law. That said, if you do intend on claiming the CCS, you’ll need to have confirmed your child’s enrolment details before the CCS can be paid. Essentially, the childcare enrolment links the child, the person claiming CCS and the childcare service.
Every childcare service will have its own enrolment process, so they’ll typically guide you through their steps. As part of the process, they’ll often ask you to complete an enrolment form. These forms typically include a range of information, so it can help to have the following details on hand:
- Contact details for yourself and any other parents, carers or guardians,
- A copy of your child’s birth certificate, passport, visa or immigration document ready to email,
- Information regarding any parenting orders or legal matters relating to the care or safety of your child (services will keep this private and confidential),
- Your child’s immunisation record, and
- Documentation related to any additional needs or support.
If you plan on applying for the CCS, you’ll also need to provide your childcare service with your child’s Customer Reference Number (CRN). Here’s how you can access your child’s CRN.
When to lodge your CCS claim
If you plan on applying for the CCS, it’s often best to lodge a claim before your child starts childcare. That way, you’ll have a better chance of securing financial assistance in time for when they start childcare.
This is where things can get a little tricky. Before Services Australia can pay the CCS, you need to confirm your child’s childcare enrolment details. In some instances, childcare providers will need your child’s CRN before they can finalise the enrolment in their system.
If you’ve claimed a service or payment on behalf of your child before, like the Parental Leave Pay or Family Tax Benefit, they should already have a CRN. In some cases, your service may be able to hold off on entering the CRN until after you’ve been approved for the CCS.
If you’re not able to submit a claim or your claim is still being processed by the time your little one has started in care, you’ll need to cover the childcare fees until your application is approved. If you’re eligible for the subsidy, your CCS claim can be backdated up to 28 days from when you first submitted your claim. Any backdated CCS payments will be paid directly to you to cover a portion of the childcare fees you would have already paid.
Once the enrolment has been finalised by the childcare service, they’ll need to submit your child’s enrolment details to Services Australia within seven days after the end of the week in which you made the agreement so you can confirm them online as part of the CCS claims process. But before you can confirm your child’s enrolment details, you need to check them against your Complying Written Arrangement (CWA) to make sure the details match up.
What is a CWA?
A Complying Written Arrangement, or CWA for short, is a type of formal agreement between the family and the childcare provider detailing the care arrangements for the child. During the childcare enrolment process, your childcare provider will send you a copy of the CWA. You must agree to the CWA in writing, either electronically or in hard copy.
The CWA includes a number of important details, including:
- Child’s details: Name and date of birth,
- Service provider’s details: Name of the childcare service and its type (EG. long day care, family day care),
- Care schedule: Days and hours of care and any agreed routine or flexible arrangements,
- Fees: Details of the fees to be charged, including any additional charges, discounts or fee reductions, and
- Subsidy information: Information about the parent or guardian's eligibility for the CCS and how this will be applied to the fees.
While there are several other types of care arrangements, including a relevant arrangement (RA), provider eligible arrangement (PEA) and an arrangement with an organisation, a CWA is the most common care arrangement for children who receive the CCS.
Finalising your child’s enrolment
Once your child’s enrolment has been finalised and your CCS claim has been approved, all that’s left to do is get them ready for their first day of childcare.
Some childcare services offer orientation sessions where your child can get familiar with their new learning environment. Be sure to introduce your child to their early childhood educator and other important staff so they can begin to establish a rapport early on.
While these types of ‘stay and play’ sessions are a great opportunity for your little one to get to know their new space, they also provide a chance for you to ask any final questions before your child gets started at childcare.
Be sure to familiarise yourself with the details of your CWA and ensure your child starts their care according to the agreed schedule. It can also help to stay on top of communication with the provider over these first few weeks to make sure everything’s going smoothly and your child is settling into their new routine.
What you need to know about claiming the CCS
When it comes to claiming the CCS, it’s important to make sure your child’s enrolment details listed in your CCS claim match the CWA in place with their care provider. If the details don’t match up, get in touch with your child’s childcare provider. They should be able to explain why the details don’t match or update them on their end.
If there’s a discrepancy between your CCS application and your CWA that you don’t pick up on, it could lead to incorrect CCS payments or a delay in your payments. If there are any changes in your income, work hours or childcare arrangements later down the track, be sure to update Centrelink through MyGov to ensure your CCS remains accurate.
Once your child is enrolled in their new childcare service and your CCS claim has been approved, the CCS will be paid directly to your childcare provider. The payments they receive will reduce the out of pocket childcare costs that you have to cover.
If you’re still in the early stages of applying for childcare services, learn more about when and how to register your child in childcare here. Or, if you’re keen to find out more about applying for the CCS, you can check out our blog on what you need to qualify for childcare assistance.
In the meantime, you can use our Child Care Subsidy Calculator to work out how much CCS you could claim and estimate your out of pocket childcare expenses.
