At Goodstart, we're committed to ensuring all Australian children access quality early learning. We know the cost of childcare and early childhood education is a huge financial commitment for Australian families. We keep our fees as low as possible, while providing top quality early learning and care to our Goodstart families.
In 2023 we have kept our fees down and our quality of care high by doing the following:
Supporting our families to better understand out of pocket fees, using the Goodstart Child Care Subsidy (CCS) Estimator to get the most value for your family. Your Centre Director can assist you to better understand what the changes to CCS mean for your family situation.
We can support you to discuss whether adjusting your child's session lengths will optimise your Child Care Subsidy savings.
We want to help you make the best decision for you and your family (and wallet!). Let's expand on these points and how they add value for you.
Where your fees go
This year, we aligned our fee review with the start of the CCS change so our families only have one pricing update to action.
Our new fees are going towards another well-deserved pay rise for our educators, with most receiving an increase of up to 7%. In addition, they go towards increasing running costs such as rent, food and other supplies.
This is one of the largest pay rises offered by a major national employer. We're not-for-profit, so extra funds are re-invested into our centres and programs for your children and, most importantly our people.
We attract and keep the best people by paying our educators and teachers above-award wages. We also fund inclusion and learning support to give all children the best start.
We review our fees annually, and every year, we try to balance two big objectives:
Be THE employer of choice for our amazing educators and teachers.
Continue providing affordable access to quality early childhood learning for our families.
We're so proud of our educators, and we invite you to find your local Goodstart centre or book a tour and meet them for yourself. You can also call our Family Services Team and they’ll answer any questions you have about our amazing staff.
Get the most from your child care subsidy
From July 2023, the Australian government improved support for families by increasing the Child Care Subsidy (CCS) rates. The new policy gives more access to affordable early learning for Aussie families. More than 90% of families are now receiving a higher rate of CCS under the changes.
The increased subsidy is great news for Australian families, and you can use our Child Care Subsidy Estimator to give you a good indication of how much you'll save under the new CCS.
We want you to feel confident with this new information. We also understand that working out your family's CCS can feel confusing, but we're here to help you. Contact your local Goodstart Centre Director and organise a time to go and talk to them. They'll help you get a good idea of how much you'll save on childcare under the new reforms.
We also have a dedicated Family Services Team who are across the latest updates to the CCS and you can contact them between 7am and 5:30pm on 1800 222 543. They'll answer any questions about fees, the new subsidy rates, and how it affects your family. They may be able to also help you save money by adjusting your session length, and we'll quickly show you how, too.
Optimise your session lengths
Three factors are used to work out how much you pay for childcare:
- The government's hourly rate cap ($13.73).
- The session fee.
- The session length.
See, we told you it was complex!
In a nutshell, your hourly rate is the centre's daily fee divided by your child’s daily session length. This means shorter sessions end up paying higher hourly rates.
If your centre's hourly rate is higher than the government's capped hourly rate of $13.73, you’ll pay the difference. This difference is called ‘the gap’.
Most childcare providers charge a flat daily fee for the number of hours a centre is open. At Goodstart, each centre offers different session lengths suited to their local families’ needs.
For example, most centres offer the following options:
Nine hour session.
10 hour session.
All day.
You choose the session length that suits your family's needs, so you're not paying for hours of care you don't use. We can save you money using the CCS and selecting the best session lengths for your family.
Want another hot tip? There are discounts for multiple days, and longer sessions can cost you less! Speak to any working parent who’s made the mad dash to get to kindy pick to avoid getting slapped with late fees, and they’ll tell you those extra two hours really count!
We'd love to help keep your pockets lined (and get top notch childcare!), so give our Family Services Team a call. Tell them about your family’s early learning requirements and your lifestyle and work commitments, and they’ll help you with your CCS and suggest optimal session lengths and advise on any multiple day discounts for your little ones. Find your local centre or Book a centre tour and meet their centre director who will happily answer any questions you have.
Got a question? Call our dedicated Family Services team
You can contact them between 7am and 5:30pm AEST on 1800 222 543.
Call us now