Family day care is a quality home-based child care service that’s been actively helping Australian families for over 30 years.

The service caters for young babies through to pre-teens and offers care and education in a safe, secure and stimulating home environment during standard hours, before/after school, during school holidays and in some circumstances overnight and weekends.

There are 307 family day care schemes across Australia. Each scheme comprises a central coordination unit, a network of carers, and the families with whom they are connected.

About family day care carers

Family day care carers (also called careproviders or home-based child care workers) are people whose personal qualities reflect community diversity – of families, values and cultures – empathy, warmth, flexibility, professionalism and maturity. A commitment to nurturing and caring for children a given. Many carers have their own children of varying ages, and all have experience with children.

Carers are recruited, trained and resourced by the coordination unit, which also supports and monitors individual carer services. The resourcing and back-up support provided by the coordination unit sets family day care apart from sole carers and nanny services.

With access to continued learning and leading thinking in child care, family day care carers have access to the most unique training structure within the child care sector.

About coordination units

The key role of the coordination unit is to support and resource the highest standard of family day care for children. They are there to discuss your childcare needs, to provide information about child care and to assist you to find the right carer and environment for your child. They are also there to monitor your child’s wellbeing, learning and progress.

The coordination unit works in partnership with carers to uphold organisational values, meet required legislation, National Standards and the formal Family Day Care Quality Assurance system.

Carers are visited regularly by trained fieldworkers who also run play sessions and offer toy library services to ensure that children have a variety of stimulating play experiences.

Many family day care schemes also host websites and offer newsletters for parent and carer communication. If your carer is sick or plans to take leave, the coordination unit can offer a relief care or back up service arrangement with minimal disruption to your child.

Coordination units receive funding from the Australian Government to support the network of carers providing quality child care in different locations within the family day care scheme. Family fee subsidies (Child Care Benefit (CCB) are administered by the coordination unit. Families using family day care may also apply for the Child Care Tax Rebate (CCTR).

Standards and quality assurance

As part of the national child care framework, family day care abides by State licensing, National Standards and Family Day Care Quality Assurance (the national child care accreditation system), to assure that the quality of care is of the highest standard.

Quality assurance within family day care is governed by the National Childcare Accreditation Council and each carer must meet national requirements in not only early childhood and child care skills, but also in planning, administration and communications. Having passed a police or criminal history check prior to commencing work in family day care, all carers must be fully insured, have a current first aid certificate and maintain a safe child care environment.

Our Five Star Family Day Care Standard^©

Unique in the delivery of quality child care is the five star family day care standard^©. This standard is drawn from the collective wisdom of over 30 years experience delivering quality child care in a home and family environment across Australia. Our unique five star standard underpins all that we are and all that we do.

Why choose family day care?

With its warm, home-like environment, individual attention to children in small groups* and ability to provide care for children from a very young age, family day care is often the choice of child care for women returning to or entering the workforce after childbirth.

Family day care is a truly national child care service where children, families and communities reflect a wonderful diversity shared by carers and scheme staff. Acknowledging this diversity, family day care is able to offer care:

Family day care can support parents in shift working employment, such as nursing or hospitality, or roles which require travel. Diversity of language, culture and ability is also embraced to ensure the right ‘fit’ for children, carers and their respective families. Our flexible service can also assist families in crisis or as a respite care option.

What can you expect?

For parents, family day care offers so much more than a fun, safe place to leave your child. Flexibility, stability, consistency, reassurance and family values – underpinned by meaningful and often long term relationships – are all key ingredients in building happy, well adjusted children.

For children, being nurtured and having the opportunity to develop in a secure, home-based, family-focused environment, and mixing with a diversity of ages and cultures is a great was to build self-esteem and social skills.

In family day care, children learn through play and exploration while mixing with a small group*. They participate in activities planned by the carer to suit each child’s individual needs, such as story-telling, singing, art and craft, playing games, visiting the park or the library.

Learning in the home environment is as natural as can be – structured with the real world – an authentic experience for your child growing up at home in family day care.

Family Day Care. Just like home!

* Depending on State or Territory regulations, the number of children in care at any one time is four or five under school age, plus two school-aged children, ie a maximum of seven.