Permanent bookings
The same days every week, held for you. Book them by the hour or by the day, and mix the two if that is what the week actually looks like. Permanent bookings go through a written arrangement so Child Care Subsidy can be applied.
In Diamond Creek since 1983
Child care that bends to fit your week
Book by the hour or by the day. Keep the same days every week, or ring on the morning you need a hand. This is a community owned, not for profit centre, run by the families who use it, for children from birth to eight years.
7.00am to 6.00pm Monday to Friday Open school holidays
1983working with this community
56approved places
0 to 8years of age
2 hrsthe smallest booking
Types of care
Not everyone needs the same five days
Because this is an occasional care centre, children do not all arrive at once or stay the same length of time. Some are here for the whole day and some for two hours. You can mix bookings in the same week, so a Monday morning and a full Tuesday is a perfectly normal arrangement.
Casual and one off care
Places open up most days as other families cancel, so care can often be arranged at short notice. If you have no permanent place and you need one day, ring the centre and ask. That is exactly what it is here for.
Funded kinder
The government funded three and four year old kindergarten program runs right through the day, with a program written for that age group.
Emergency and crisis care
Treated as a priority. If something has gone wrong today and you need somewhere safe for your child, call the centre rather than filling in a form.
School holidays
The centre stays open right through the school holidays, apart from the Christmas shutdown weeks, and holds limited places for school aged children.
Inside and out
Three play rooms and a classroom with no roof
Every room is coordinated by Diploma qualified staff, assisted by early childhood educators. Staff move through the centre during the day so a familiar face goes with your child rather than staying behind a door. Outside there is an extended lower play area, so there is a slope for rolling balls down, stepping stones to climb and a digging patch.
A day here
There is a shape to the day, and room to move inside it
The pattern below is fairly typical. It shifts for the weather, for a spontaneous event, for the mood of the group and for the child in front of us. Eating fits each child's own pattern, and sleep happens whenever a child needs it rather than at a set hour.
Welcome to our day
Families arrive and share how the night went. Indoor and outdoor free choice is open from the start, and everyone washes their hands on arrival.
Free play and planned experiences
Indoor and outdoor both open. Small group and individual work happens through this stretch.
Morning tea
Fruit brought in by families is shared, water comes from the centre. Sometimes formal, sometimes a picnic on the grass.
Lunch
Everyone helps tidy up and wash hands. Children bring their own lunch and the centre provides the water.
Sleep, and play for those who are not sleeping
Rest for the children who need it, and free play and planned experiences carrying on for the ones who do not.
Afternoon tea
Fruit and water again, then back to indoor and outdoor play right through until home time.
Snack
For the children still here late in the day. Bring a named snack if your child is staying past 4.30pm.
Farewell and home
Doors close at six. Every family gets a proper handover on the way out.
Fees
Pay for the hours you actually use
Fees are set by the parent Committee of Management, and are paid by direct debit. Because this is not for profit, the money goes back into the centre rather than out of it.
By the hour
$17.50 per hour, per child
Bookings are made by the hour with a minimum booking of two hours, so a short morning does not have to be paid for as a full day.
By the day
$139.00 per day, per child
Covers the entire time the centre is open, 7.00am to 6.00pm. You can mix daily and hourly bookings across the same week.
Child Care Subsidy. The subsidy is paid straight to the centre and passed on to you as a fee reduction, so you pay the difference. What you receive depends on your combined family income, your level of approved activity and the type of service you use. Claim it before or when your child starts. The subsidy percentage applies to the hourly cap rate for centre based long day care rather than to the centre's own hourly rate.
Absences. There is no charge for notified short term non attendance such as a cancellation, a holiday or illness, where that absence is three weeks or less. An absence longer than three weeks attracts a minimum two hour fee to hold a permanent booking.
Please check these figures with the centre. The rates above are the ones the centre published as at July 2023. Fees are reviewed against the annual budget and government policy, and families are given two weeks notice of any increase, so please ring the centre for today's numbers. Full fee information is available at the centre and is given to every family on enrolment.
Call (03) 9438 2719
What to bring
Pack the bag once and it works every time
Everything named, in a named bag, every time your child attends. Food goes to a staff member so it can be refrigerated.
Food
- A named, nutritious lunch if they are staying for it
- A piece of fruit for morning and afternoon tea
- A snack as well if they are here past 4.30pm
- Bottles and dummies prepared and clearly named
- No juice boxes, and nothing high in fat, sugar or salt
Clothing and sleeping
- A full change of clothes, named
- Nappies and a comforter for babies and toddlers
- Two cot sheets for children who sleep
- Extra clothing while toilet training
- Warm clothes in the colder months, they still go out
What to wear
- Comfortable clothes and shoes they can manage
- Elbow length sleeves and knee length shorts for SunSmart
- Hats are provided by the centre
- No thongs or party shoes
- No amber teething necklaces or beaded bracelets
Allergen aware
To minimise the risk of exposure to a known allergen, the centre asks that peanuts, tree nuts and nut products are not sent in to any part of the service, and that whole egg and egg products are kept out of the babies room.
Statement of commitment
Children learn best when they feel safe and are safe
Children's safety and wellbeing is the first priority at this centre. The service is committed to preventing child abuse, identifying risks early, and removing and reducing those risks. There is zero tolerance of child abuse, and all forms of harm to children and safety concerns are treated very seriously.
The centre follows its duty of care and its legal obligations to contact authorities when there is a worry about a child's safety, and supports staff, volunteers and the Committee of Management to maintain the Child Safe Standards through ongoing training and continuous improvement of its child safe policy.
A copy of the policy document is always available in the foyer.
- 1We know that children learn best when they feel safe and are safe.
- 2We support and respect the diversity and individuality of all children.
- 3We are committed to the participation and empowerment of all children.
- 4We uphold every child's right to feel and be safe at all times.
- 5We are committed to safe environments for all children, including vulnerable children.
- 6We are committed to the cultural safety of Aboriginal children, children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and the safety of children with a disability.
Get in touch
Ask about a place
Bookings can be made throughout the year and places are allocated on availability. If you need care quickly, please call rather than wait on a form.
That would have gone through
On the live site this lands with the centre straight away. This is a concept page, so nothing was sent.
Call (03) 9438 2719-
Where to find usNillumbik Community House, Reserve Circuit,
Diamond Creek, Victoria 3089
Behind the Diamond Creek Community Centre -
OpenMonday to Friday, 7.00am to 6.00pm
All year, apart from public holidays and the Christmas shutdown -
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