General Info

Vacation Care is for children up to and including 13 years old and attending primary school.

Our Vacation Care rolls are opened for booking in Week 7 of the preceding term and all Vacation Care bookings are subject to availability as our program tends to fill up very quickly. OOSH Northern Beaches cannot be held responsible if you do not receive a place on your choice of day. We do not operate a waitlist for Vacation Care bookings as changes can be made by other parents through their My Family Lounge account at any time of the day or night so it is the parent’s responsibility to monitor the casual booking calendar for any vacancies that may occur if they have originally missed out on their choice of day.

We have strict excursion and incursion child attendance numbers to confirm with our activity providers a week before vacation care begins. Therefore we are only able to accept children who have been formally booked in on any given day.

Any cancellations for Vacation Care/Pupil Free day bookings can only be marked absent and fees will still apply.

There are no refunds or credits on bookings if they have not been cancelled in line with our cancellation notice period, and no refunds or credits are given for suspension or inability to attend (i.e. illness, missed excursion bus).

Staff is employed from 7:00am to 6.00pm. Children are to be signed in and out by a parent/guardian between these times. Collection after 6.00 pm incurs a fee of $20 for the first 10 minutes late, then $20 per 10 minutes or part thereof (i.e. $60 for 30 minutes).

Emergency contacts are also authorised collectors; however they will need to provide staff with photo identification before being allowed to leave with your child.

We regret that we are unable to care for sick children. Prescription medication can only be administered by staff with written permission from parents/guardians. Non- prescription medication is not permitted at Vacation Care. See centre staff for further details.

Each day, apart from the scheduled program, there are sport, games, and art & craft experiences provided.

On in-centre days, morning tea is at approx. 10:15am & lunch is at approx. 12:30pm. We attempt to have afternoon tea at approx. 3:30pm – 4:00pm, but this is usually prepared by the children so the time may vary slightly (and dependent on the return time from an excursion).

Declaration and Indemnity

I have read the below terms and conditions and I agree to abide by them.

I give permission for my child to leave the centre and attend any excursions/incursions programmed on the days they are enrolled. I acknowledge that G & PG rated movies may be shown at the Centre or cinema. I acknowledge that my child will be exposed to all normal risks associated with participation in the program.

I hereby indemnify OOSH Northern Beaches, the Centre’s Licensee Mr. Chris Hegarty, officers, staff and agents, against all claims, demands, actions and liabilities and any responsibility for any accident, loss or injury suffered by my child of any kind arising (other than wilful negligence) in the course of my child’s attendance. Should at any time OOSH Northern Beaches, its officers, servants or agents consider that my child requires ambulance, medical, dental or hospital assistance, I consent to your obtaining same at my expense.

I agree that I will pay all fees and charges and abide by the Policy Document of the Centre and its terms and conditions as varied from time to time and available upon request. I have notified all people named on my child’s enrolment form as required by the Privacy Act 1998, which came into force in April 2001.

I give permission for my child to have their photograph taken and displayed at the Kids Club centre, in the Vacation Care brochure or on the company website, unless otherwise advised.

Behaviour

Disruptive and aggressive behaviour will be dealt with by the staff following the centre’s behaviour management strategies. A report card will be submitted to Head Office following disruptive behaviour. Three (3) Report Cards throughout the duration of a full year of vacation care will result in a meeting with the family and Licensee to discuss the suitability of this centre for your child and their attendance.

At Kids Club we are able to offer lounges for relaxation or watching a movie quietly, outside tennis, soccer, handball, netball or basketball and use of the entire school’s play area and play equipment structure, fully stocked sports equipment, a designated craft area and craft supplies in abundance. PG/G rated movies may be shown at the Centre, please see staff if you have any concerns about this.

What to Bring to Vacation Care

Children are to bring enough food and drink for morning tea and lunch. Afternoon tea is provided unless we are advised your child has special dietary requirements, in that case please provide your child’s own afternoon tea. Please ensure lunches will not spoil on the warmer days (include an ice pack for example). Afternoon tea is a snack, not a meal substitute. If additional food is required, please include this in their lunchbox.

Medication: If your child requires any medication (Epipen, asthma puffer or any other) please make sure that this is handed directly to staff at the beginning of the holidays or alternatively each day your child attends. This is the parent’s responsibility and we are unable to accept your child without it.

Children should not bring any toys (including mobile phones and any electronic devices) or expensive jewellery to Vacation Care as they may be lost.

PLEASE NOTE NO VALUABLES. Children will not be permitted to purchase food or souvenirs on excursions; please do not send money with your child to Vacation Care.

Children need to bring a hat, lunch, snacks and a refillable drink bottle. Cooking activities may be part of the day’s program but they are not meal substitutes.

Excursion Information

All excursions will begin and end at the centre. No child is to be taken to the excursion site or picked up from the excursion site.

On excursion days children and staff will travel by charter bus to each excursion venue. We usually leave the centre between 8:30am and 9:00am. Please ensure your child is at the centre by 8:30am for a briefing session. Should your child not be present by 8:45am they may miss out on the excursion for the day (a sign will be posted on the door advising the bus has left). We usually return between 3:30pm and 4:00pm. Should you wish your child returned prior to 3:30pm please let the staff know the time you wish your child to return and we will attempt to satisfy this request. Buses used for excursions are driven by a hired bus driver from the supplying bus company with full insurance.

A risk assessment with more details about each excursion can be viewed at the Centre prior to excursion days.

Children are updated on the rules of travel and behavioural code expected on excursions prior to leaving the Centre. We do walk the children the short distance to and from some excursions and this is supervised by our staff, who wear reflective traffic vests. Children are briefed on road rules and safety rules and appropriate behaviour whilst in high traffic environments. However every effort is made to avoid busy areas.

St. Johns First Aid recommended first aid kits and asthma kits are taken to all excursions and at least one member of staff holds a senior 1st aid certificate. Any medication that has been signed in by a parent will be included in our 1st aid kit.

All staff takes excursions very seriously and we have strict guidelines in place. Senior staff members are more than happy to talk you through our excursion procedures at any time.

What to Wear to Vacation Care

Please clearly label all items!

Sunhat and sunscreen – no hat means children may only be allowed to play in the shade. Children without hats may miss out on outdoor activities! Parents – please apply sunscreen to your child every day before dropping them to Vacation Care.

Clothing should be practical and sun smart. Singlet tops are not appropriate as exposed shoulders are prone to sunburn.

Please note that centres often do messy activities so be prepared for dirty clothes at the end of the day!! The Centre does not provide protective shirts for arts and crafts.

Covered shoes only – thongs, slides and most sandals are NOT appropriate or safe footwear at Vacation Care. ‘Wheelie’ shoes are also inappropriate footwear for Vacation Care. Children who do not have appropriate footwear may not be able to participate in all activities.

Children are to wear clothing appropriate to the daily activities and all belongings should be collected when the children are signed out each day, we cannot take responsibility for clothing left behind each day. Any clothing left at the end of vacation care will be taken to St Vincent De Paul.

Food

Help us be allergy friendly! Many children have allergies to various foods. Nut allergies are especially common.

Due to increased numbers of children with life threatening allergies to peanuts, we will not allow any peanut butter or nuts to vacation care. If a child consumes peanut butter or nut products for breakfast, please wash hands/mouth thoroughly before arriving at the centre. We request your co-operation in this matter. Please help us by not providing any nuts or nut products (including peanut butter and hazelnut spread) in your children’s lunches and snacks. Please provide healthy snacks and lunches. Lollies, sugary drinks and sweets are discouraged.

Please ensure your child has plenty to drink and a drink bottle to fill with water.

Afternoon tea is provided during Vacation Care. This is a snack only and is usually served between 3:30pm and 4:00pm depending on each day’s activities. All of our afternoons are from our healthy eating menu and afternoon tea snacks include; cheese & crackers, sandwiches, lean beef burgers, homemade pizza, pasta, vegetables, milkshakes/smoothies and fruit. If your child needs more than a snack in the afternoon, please provide them with a little more food than usual.

Fee Payment

The same Vacation Care daily fee applies to in-house, incursion and excursion days. There is an additional bus fee applicable for excursion days.

An Enrolment fee will be charged for any new families. The Enrolment fee covers Before & After School and Vacation Care and will be added to your first session of any care with OOSH Northern Beaches in each school year.

The Child Care Management system (CCMS) will be advised of your child’s attendance at Vacation Care electronically. CCMS will advise OOSH Northern Beaches the amount you owe, taking into account any subsidy that you may be entitled to.

Child Care Subsidy (CCS)

Child Care Subsidy (CCS) is a Government subsidy paid directly to providers to be passed on to families to reduce their out of pocket child care fees. CCS is available to families using OOSH Northern Beaches Vacation Care Services. Some basic requirements must be satisfied for an individual to be eligible to receive Child Care Subsidy for a child. These include the age of the child (must be 13 or under and not attending secondary school), the child meeting immunisation requirements and the individual, or their partner, meets the residency requirements. In addition, to be eligible for Child Care Subsidy the individual must be liable to pay for care provided. There are three factors that will determine a family’s level of Child Care Subsidy, these being the combined family income, the activity level of both parents and the type of child care service.

It is the parent’s/guardian’s responsibility to create or access their Centrelink online account via www.my.gov.au to lodge a Child Care Subsidy Claim for their child, if they meet the eligibility requirements. The Child Care Subsidy can be backdated up to a maximum of 28 days only. The parent/guardian must provide OOSH Northern Beaches their date of birth and Customer Reference Number (CRN) plus the date of birth and CRN for each child they are enrolling (CRN’s are unique to each individual) so their child can be enrolled with Centrelink for CCS purposes. The parent/guardian must confirm their child’s enrolment with OOSH Northern Beaches through Centrelink, via myGov, before the Child Care Subsidy will be paid, otherwise full fees will apply. Further information can be obtained by contacting Centrelink on 136150.