Family Day Care Baulkham Hills

Family Day Care Baulkham Hills. Child care centre vs family day care.

As a parent you always want the best possible care for your child. So what does one do when you get presented with a question should my child go to a child care centre or the local family day care? Well the answer will be different for each parent mainly because each child is different in the way they respond to their environment and the level of attention they require.

We’ll try to highlight some of the similarities and differences between a child care centre and family day care.

Similarities Family Day Care Baulkham Hills,

Child care centres and family day care are equally governed by National Quality Framework and must maintain the same stringent National Quality Standards when providing care.

Educators in both types of services must have Cert III in Children’s services as a minimum ( or working towards) although many educators go on to obtain their diploma and some will continue to further their knowledge with University degrees.

In both sectors educators both must have first aid as well as asthma and anaphylaxis training. They must also have the same background checks such as working with children’s checks and police checks.

Both services provide individual programs for children which are guided by the National Quality Standards for Early Childhood Education and Care.

Both child care centres and family day care are registered for Child Care Benefit and Child Care Rebate allowing the parents to receive eligible subsidies to reduce their fees.

Differences

Key differences are brought about by the way each model delivers care.

Family Day Care Baulkham Hills

Educators (normally the business owner) provide care in their own homes. The home must be assessed as acceptable under the national regulations regarding safety and suitability. They work together with an approved service who organise regular visits to provide support and monitor progress and compliance aspects of the family day care.

Educators only work with groups of 4 or less children under school age, hence the service is a little more individualised. Educators can also provide education and care for 3 school age children outside the school hours so the younger children get to mix with the school age children. The mixed age groups provide many learning opportunities.

Family day care is also known to be flexible with their working hours which is often suitable for people doing shift work. Family Day Care can assist parents who require care for shift work, rotating rosters, weekend care, occasional care, 24hr care, emergency care. Family Day Care’s uniqueness is its ability to provide care outside regular childcare centre hours.

Child Care Centre

Child care centres provide care in purpose built facilities and the educators are usually the employees of the centre. Childcare centres must abide by strict educator/child ratios which depends on the age group of the children.

Centres can cater for a larger number of children at one time. Generally, the children are divided into age groups and are cared for in separate rooms by the required number of educators.

Child care centres are usually providing care during the day and are not available outside of normal business hours.

Conclusion

In essence both service types provide great quality care and operate under the same rules and regulations. Where parents prefer their children to work in larger group settings then a child care centre may be more suitable. If more flexible, individualised education in a home like settings is preferable, then family day care may be more appealing.

If you would like to discuss what care option might best suit your child contact us here at Collective Family Day Care Baulkham Hills to see how we can assist.