Introduction
If you enjoy the company of children and want to make a difference in their lives by providing quality care and learning experiences from your own home, then family day care may be right for you.
Family day care carers work in partnership with a family day care scheme whose staff offer guidance, support and training. Scheme staff are also responsible for ensuring that you operate to a high standard within the regulations, scheme policies and the quality assurance process.
Ideally you will have an early childhood qualification such as a Certificate III in Children's Services or higher, or you are willing to study. Your scheme will also provide full induction training and opportunities for training and professional development.
Opening your home to families and children takes a special kind of person who is able to adapt to different people, cultures and lifestyles. You will also need the support of your family.
If this sounds like you please read on
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Why work in family day care?
As a carer with family day care you will be part of an established child care service of over 307 schemes and 12,000 carers that has been operating in Australia for over thirty years. You will benefit from brand recognition, marketing material, customer service management and professionals experienced in supporting and training you through your local scheme.
Your home-based business offers tax advantages and the ability to spend more time with your own children. You can choose your income level and work hours to suit the priorities of you and your clients.
Your family day care service is part of the national childcare accreditation system, so the parents using your service will know that their children are receiving quality care.
As an approved child care service, parents who use family day care can receive the full range of child care fee subsidies that are available through the Australian Government. This includes full Child Care Benefit (CCB) and the Child Care Tax Rebate.
Family day care in your local area is part of a national network of children's services that you can tap into at any time. You can join your local carer networking group, your State Association and your National Association, Family Day Care Australia where you can get information about marketing, policy, media, public relations, events, breaking news and products tailored for your business.
If you're interested in contributing your skills, views and passion you can also join your scheme's management committee or stand for election for state and national association executive committees and boards.
Start-up costs
As with any small business, there are number of costs that you will need to outlay before you get started. Start up costs include any home maintenance or changes required to meet safety standards; equipment and materials; and registration costs. A number of schemes have loan programs.
Cessation of the Family Day Care Start Up Grant
The Australian Government announced in the 2010-2011 Budget that the Family Day Care Start Up Payment program will cease as of 1 July 2010. Applications received after 1 July 2010 that are post marked on or before 30 June 2010 will still be processed. Should such applications be incomplete, applicants will be advised and will need to return completed applications to the Department by 31 August 2010. Applications received after this date will not be processed.
Family Day Care Australia is in the process of submitting a report to the Hon Kate Ellis MP and DEEWR outlining the importance of the program to the family day care sector, and possible alternative means of support for the sector. We will keep the sector informed of developments as they arise
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The safety and health of children is the number one priority. There are guidelines and standards in place to ensure that your home and garden are safe for children. Costs to consider include:
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Safe fencing and gates |
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Fire equipment, eg extinguisher, blanket, smoke alarms |
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Safety glass in accessible windows and doors |
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Childproof locks on cupboards |
To fully equip your service you will need age-appropriate toys, books, craft materials and equipment such as bedding and furniture. Your scheme usually has a toy library and may lend or hire equipment to new carers just starting up.
If you plan to transport the children in your car you will also need the appropriate safety checks, harnesses and booster seats, as well as a stroller or pram.
Your home will be safety checked by coordination unit staff before you can open your business.
Other business costs include:
The family day care scheme with which you are registered may charge you an annual registration fee and/or weekly fees which contribute to the administration and support services they provide to you; there may also be a cost for training.
Please note that these costs are approximate and that there may be other costs associated with the local scheme.
Your income
Most family day care carers are self-employed small business operators, although a small number of schemes (in the ACT and Victoria) employ carers and pay them wages.
As a small business operator you should set your fees according to the income you need to cover costs and make a viable income. Your scheme will know what a fair fee for service is in your local area. As a rough guide, caring for four full-time pre-school age children 40 hours per week may provide a gross income of around $45,000 per annum. Carer businesses operating longer hours, weekend and evenings gross much higher incomes.
Business expenses are tax deductible so it's essential to keep good records. You can also claim a proportion of costs that are used both in your family day care business and in your private life, eg electricity, cleaning products and mortgage interest. Comprehensive tax information and a full list of deductions can be found in our easy to read family day care Tax Guide.
Many of your clients will be eligible for Child Care Benefit (CCB) fee subsidies. Generally the scheme will pay you the CCB on behalf of the parent, and the parent will pay you the difference between the CCB and the full fee.
Paperwork
A certain amount of paperwork is required in every business and family day care is no exception. Your scheme will help you with this side of your new business, but typical paperwork will include:
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timesheets for each child in care; these are sent to the scheme office for processing of CCB payments weekly or fortnightly |
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daily/weekly plans that include age-appropriate experiences for each child |
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written observations for each child |
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incident records for insurance and child protection purposes |
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income and expense records |
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policies and welcome information for new parents |
It's a great idea to have a computer in your business to help with your paperwork and perhaps publish a weekly or monthly news sheet for parents. You will also need to keep your finances in order, and if you are going to get an Australian Business Number (ABN) and/or claim GST you will need software that can calculate your activity statements.
What do we expect from you?
Every family day care scheme in Australia is unique because of the local area in which they operate and the diversity of families in those communities. So your family day care service will also be unique and there is no such thing as a 'one size fits all' carer. However, if we were to write a job description for carers it would go something like this:
Knowledge and Experience
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ability to plan and provide play-based learning experiences for children in care |
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a demonstrated ability to respond to children in an appropriate manner and a positive approach to behaviour guidance |
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a basic level of spoken and written English to help guide children's learning, communicate with families, staff and essential services, and understand and complete administration tasks |
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knowledge of good nutrition, health, hygiene and safety |
Personal Skills
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able to work cooperatively and positively within the family day care scheme |
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demonstrated ability to communicate effectively with children and adults |
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acceptance of diversity, inclusive practices and respectful of families including cultural or religious practices, disabilities and additional needs |
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acceptance of the right of each child to learn and grow in an environment which is warm, safe and stimulating |
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willingness to learn effective child care practices |
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awareness of the importance of professional development and continuous improvement |
A commitment to learning
We believe that ongoing professional development is very important and we encourage carers to formalise their skills and experience with a Certificate in Children's Services. These days there are so many different ways that training courses can be delivered - face to face, self-paced correspondence courses or even online. Costs are reasonable, fully tax deductible, and are often Government subsidised. For example a Certificate III can be completed part-time in 6, 12 or 24 months and costs around $1,400.
Flexibility
One of the key differences between family day care and other forms of child care is our ability to accommodate a range of child care needs. Family day care offers full-time care, eg when the same child comes to your home Monday to Friday; part-time care, eg when a child comes two or three days a week; before/after school and vacation care for older children; evening hours and sometimes overnight stays and weekends.
A flexible service will be appreciated by your clients, particularly those who have demanding jobs with long hours, and those who work shiftwork or travel as part of their job. The greater your ability to offer a flexible service, the more you will enjoy a good, stable income … and just watch the waiting list for your service grow!
Independence
You need to be ready to take responsibility for your own business and the management and administration that goes with it. Your family day care scheme will help you set up and get started and they will provide you with ongoing training and support through regular visits, phone calls and scheme events. But it's your business - your clients, your relationships and your unique service.
Next steps
If you are interested in finding out more about family day care in your local area the next step is to contact the scheme or schemes operating near you. Your call will be answered by a scheme staff member who will talk you through the steps to setting up your family day care business.
Once registered with the scheme, you'll be given all the support, advice, training and guidance you need to start up and get going.
Call your local scheme now and start building a rewarding career in child care.
We hope to welcome you aboard!
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