Sibling discount for childcare??

[E2306]

Hi,

 

With a proposed move to Perth we are in the unfortunate position of putting three children into childcare! Do they happen to offer discounts for siblings? Also I presume once you hit the $7500 cap you have to pay full for the remainder of the year?? If this is correct we could potentially have to pay $6000 per month five months of the year!! Am I right??

[lozzachino]

Umm no. Not sure where you got your figures from.

 

yes you do get sibling discount at most daycares but i am not sure what it would be.

 

The child care rebate is $7500 per year per child and everyone is entitled to that no matter what your income is.

 

if you earn under the maximum income you also get childcare benefit but the percentage depends on what your family income is. The more you earn the less you get. I cant remember what the income limit is so check on the centrelink website for the current limit.

 

we ended up paying around $30 a day for daycare so thats around $150 a week per child if they go daily.

[E2306]

Hi. Thank you for this. I was factoring for $100 per day per child before the rebate. But worked out with the cap we'd only get it 7.5 months out of the year. We reckon we will have to postpone for a year to have two in preschool and one in kindy. Would you have any idea what the daily rate (per child) would be for before and after school care? Many thanks

[E2306]

Ps it's unlikely we will be entitled to any benefits as we will both be working

[ali]

Hi. Thank you for this. I was factoring for $100 per day per child before the rebate. But worked out with the cap we'd only get it 7.5 months out of the year. We reckon we will have to postpone for a year to have two in preschool and one in kindy. Would you have any idea what the daily rate (per child) would be for before and after school care? Many thanks ��

 

I looked up a local provider and their fees are:

Before School Care: $15.00

After School Care: $28.00

Vacation Care: $60

Pupil Free Day: $60

[KLO]

Hi

As a Mum of 3 littlies, I feel your pain.

Those numbers you crunched (around 110 per child for day care, 30 for after school care) are about right.

The other thing to consider is when your child starts 4 year old kindy (which in the state system is 5 days per fortnight) then even if you put them in before/after school care on the days they attend, the care providers usually charge THE FULL DAY RATE. Cheeky, isn't it. They don't charge this for Pre-Primary or above.

 

You know what though? We've been here four years and I can honestly say it is THE GREATEST CITY IN THE WORLD to raise kids. Particularly if you can live close to the beach and the river (river is a good option when the sea breeze comes in around lunchtime).

 

Perhaps you could plan to get a house with a self contained studio or granny flat, and get yourself an au pair. It will save you heaps of money and give you all that childcare - plus usually au pairs are happy to do a few extra hours babysitting for cash, so you could have the occasional date night (if you are moving far from friends and family it is very handy to have a reliable babysitter). We are looking at moving to a house with extra accom for this very reason.