Choklits Fees and Payments Policy

Background and Overview

We take an all-inclusive approach in everything we do at Choklits and that includes our fees. We believe consistency and transparency are essential in any relationship, both of which form the foundation of our fee policy.

If you’ve found your way to this page you’ve probably either just joined the Choklits Community or are in the final stages of choosing an early learning centre for your family, so we’ll assume you already have a reasonable understanding of Choklits and our community.

Although we’ve never actually checked, it’s safe to say you can think of early learning centres a bit like our finger prints, no two are the same. There’s no standardised way programs are administered and delivered, and there’s no standardised way centres are run, either.

It’s actually a great thing, because you can choose the best centre for your family based on your exact needs.

For example, some charge after you attend, some weeks before attendance, some charge extras and others don’t. How each centre delivers their curriculum varies widely too. There are minimum requirements which every early learning centre must adhere to, beyond that it’s a little more complicated.

We know Choklits is not for everyone, and we are ok with that. When it comes to education, you should always do what’s right and feels comfortable for you and your family.

To help explain our fee policy, we have two versions below.

1. FAQs with simple accompanying explanations. These don’t cover every aspect of our fees policy but are answers to the questions we get most often about fees from the many family’s who’ve joined the Choklits Community, and
2. The technical version with all the nitty gritty, which (we been told), you’ll love if you’re a policymaker (think references, links and lots more information).

The Simple Version

FAQs

How do I work out my Child Care Subsidy and how much attending Choklits will cost? We have a special calculator on our website to help workout your fees and government fund entitlements, please visit our Child Care Subsidy Calculator. 

Can any child attend Choklits? No, but let us explain because this can seem contradictory to our all-inclusive philosophy. The places at Choklits are limited and we often have an extensive wait list which many families join 2+ years before they require care. We only offer places to families on our wait list and give priority (as required by the government) to vulnerable children. 

Can my child attend Choklits if I don’t pay in advance? No, we charge in advance to ensure we have the resources to properly care for all our children, team members and the wider community. It wouldn’t be fair to everyone if we allowed different payment schedules.

Can my child attend Choklits if I don’t agree to the direct debit terms? No, everyone at Choklits uses the same payment method which helps reduce administration costs and reduces the overall fees for everyone. 

Will I have to pay anything over and above my fees? No, we believe in consistency which means we never charge any extra for any activity we deliver as part of our curriculum which includes all incursions, excursions and special activities, etc.

Do I have to pay for the days I’m enroled but don’t (or can’t) attend? Yes, to ensure our service and program is delivered consistently and without compromise we charge for all the days you are enroled, regardless if you attend or not (including holidays). This also allows us to have consistent staff in our classrooms to deliver our programs and why we never charge extra for our many extracurricular activities either. Offering discounts invariably leads to a drop in education and care which is not in line with our all-inclusive philosophy.

What’s the notice period if I want to leave Choklits? 4 weeks, which allows enough time for our educators to complete any requirements for your children and to give adequate notice to incoming families.

Can I regularly swap my child’s days of care around? No, we generally don’t swap days around as it can be very disruptive to classroom routines and children’s learning journey’s but we do assess each situation individually and accommodate all families’ needs where possible.

Can I change my child’s days of care? Yes, we understand situations can occasionally change and we’re happy to help. Sometimes you may have to go onto our wait list to change your days due to availability. It’s best to request changes at least 4 weeks in advance. 

Can I request additional days of care? Yes, you can request extra days of care if you need them, we are always happy to help.

Can I attend Choklits 1 day a week? No, we have a minimum 2-day requirement at Choklits as attending for only 1 day a week isn’t normally enough time for young children to build relationships with educators, make friends and establish a routine for their learning and development.

Will I get notified of any changes to the Choklits fees? Yes, we will give you at least 4 weeks’ notice if anything changes in relation to our fees and/or how they are collected.

Where can I find details of the current wait list and bond fees? Please visit choklits.com.au/enrolments-and-tour-bookings 

Where can I find details of the current fees? Our fees are displayed on each Choklits Centre’s home page, which can all be located from choklits.com.au/centres 

The Nitty Gritty

Policy Statement 

This policy details Choklits procedures in relation to fees, methods of payment, associated provisions, and, fees and payments relating to funded kindergarten and Early Start Kindergarten grants.

This policy is current at March, 2022.

Strategies and Practices

Daily Fees and Payments

• The Service’s Fee Policy is explained to parents at enrolment, and the necessary paperwork relating to fees is discussed and completed through our online enrolment system. In addition all fee information, Centrelink and CCS gap fee information is also detailed on our website choklits.com.au where families are directed for further information. QA 7.3.5
• Choklits ensures that, wherever possible, parents of children enroled are notified at least 4 weeks in advance of any change that will affect the fees charged or the way in which fees are collected. QA 7.3.5
• An administration fee per child is required when lodging an enrolment form, the current fee amount can be found at choklits.com.au/enrolments-and-tour-bookings/. This fee is non refundable. QA 7.3.5 
• The current fee schedule can be found at choklits.com.au/enrolments-and-tour-bookings/ QA 7.3.5.
• Upon enrolment, parents are required to pay a bond payment as detailed at choklits.com.au/enrolments-and-tour-bookings/ per child. Once four (4) weeks’ written notice of intention to withdraw the child has been received by Choklits, the bond payment and any difference will be refunded. QA 7.3.5
• Fees are to be paid one week in advance through direct debit. Payments are processed every Wednesday the week before care. Fees will be collected via Direct Debit through (Debit Success, nominated bank account or credit cards are accepted) via our centralised software program. QA 7.3.5 
• Fees are to be kept one week in advance at all times.
• Normal fees apply to public holidays, sick days, family holidays and any other absences. Fees are not charged for days when the Service is closed outside of public holidays.
• Child Care Subsidy is paid for a child’s absences up to 42 days per child each financial year. The Service does not exchange days of care and does not arrange make up days. QA 7.3.5
• Receipts are issued for all fee payments through our online software program and are available for download. Hard copy receipts and be requested if required via the office. The system generated receipt will show the child’s name, the period of time for which the receipt is issued, the amount paid, and all other details required by regulations. If an overpayment is made, no change will be given but the excess will be credited to the family’s account. QA 7.3.5
• Real time account information is available to each family via our app, where parents can see upcoming payments, add extra days and nominate an absent day.
• Fee reminders are sent to any family one or more weeks late in the payment of fees. If the fees are not paid within the following week or an arrangement not entered into, the child’s place at the Service is at risk. A Child’s enrolment can be withdrawn at the directors discretion if no payments have been made within this time period and no agreement has been made with the service. A late fee of $5.00 per day is applied to any overdue fees. QA 7.3.5
• Parents are advised to contact Centrelink directly to determine their eligibility for CCS before the child commences at the service. QA 6.3.1
• Parents are advised that full fees will be charged until any Centrelink issues have been resolved between the families and Centrelink. Once CCS has been reinstated a credit will be applied to any accounts where applicable, no refund of fees will be provided.
• Parents are advised to contact Centrelink directly to understand if their eligibility for CCS has been stopped the child can continue to attend the service, however, full fees will be charged until CCS is reinstated. Once CCS has been reinstated a credit will be applied to any accounts where applicable, no refund of fees will be provided.

Notice Periods

• The Service requires full four weeks written notice of an intention to change the days or the number of days required or to withdraw a child from the Service. The four weeks notice begins from the close of business on the day the Service receives the written advice. QA 7.3.5

Late Fees

• A late fee of $5 per minute by the Centre clock for each minute per child will be charged for any child collected later than the Service’s closing time. This will be tracked by the Kiosk time sign in and out when they collect their child/children. QA 7.3.5   

Kindergarten Fees and Funding

3 Year Old Funded Kindergarten

• The Victorian Government from 2021 will provide between 5-15 hours of funding to support children to access a high quality kindergarten program in the year before they start school, with 15 hours of funding provided by 2029. The funding at the service is used as a contribution towards meeting the cost of the kindergarten program. The funding provided to the service from the Government is used for the program only.
• Any child attending the services funded Kindergarten program will be required to pay the normal daily fee charges, per the fee policy.

4 Year Old Funded Kindergarten

• The Victorian Government provides 15 hours of funding to support children to access a high quality kindergarten program in the year before they start school. The funding at the service is used as a contribution towards meeting the cost of the kindergarten program. The funding provided to the service from the Government is used for the program only.
• Any child attending the services funded Kindergarten program will be required to pay the normal daily fee charges, per the fee policy.

Early Start Kindergarten

• Early Start Kindergarten (ESK) grants are available from the Victorian Government to long day care centres to support children to access free or low cost kindergarten in the two years before school. The grants support the participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and children who are known to Child Protection. They are available as one-off annual payments, made directly to the centre for each eligible child and can be used when families are eligible for Australian Government assistance such as Child Care Benefit or Special Child Care Benefit.
• At this Service any Child who meets the government criteria to receive a ESK will apply for the grant on the parents/families behalf, with parent consent only. In some circumstances some families do not wish to take up the grant. To receive the grant the child will need to attend 15 hours a week, 40 weeks of the year of the funded kindergarten program, or 600 hours a year.
• Once the grant has been allocated by the government it will be paid in a lump sum directly to the service.
• The grant will go towards the individual families daily fees, across the year. The grant will be used only as on offset of the daily fee across the year.
• All families who have a child in the early start kindergarten program will still be required to pay any additional costs/fees that the grant does not cover for the remaining care provided outside the kindergarten program.
• Weekly fee payments will still be required each week in advance for the difference, inline with our daily fee policy.
• The grant amounts differ each year and the director of the service will liase with each family around, fee payment amounts and grant amounts.

Additional Information on Kindergarten Funding  

• https://www.education.vic.gov.au/parents/Pages/default.aspx
• https://www.education.vic.gov.au/parents/child-care-kindergarten/Pages/kindergarten-programs.aspx
• https://www.education.vic.gov.au/parents/child-care-kindergarten/Pages/early-start-kindergarten.aspx

Responsibilities of parents

• To ensure fees are kept up-to-date.
• To keep the Service informed of any changes in attendance (e.g. family holidays, other absences)
• To respond promptly to communication from the service about fees
• To respond promptly to communications from Centrelink to maintain CCS eligibility.    

Links to other policies 

• Attendance Policy
• Enrolment and Orientation Policy
• Interactions with Families Policy

Links and Practices

Links Education and Care Services National Regulations 2011, National Quality Standard 2011

Reg168 Education and care service must have policies and procedures

172 Notification of change to policies or procedures

QA 6.3.1 Links with relevant community and support agencies are established and maintained

QA 7.3.2 Administrative systems are established and maintained to ensure the effective operation of the service

QA.7.3.5 Service practices are based on effectively documented policies and procedures that are available at the service and reviewed regularly

Sources

• choklits.com.au
• choklits.com.au/enrolments-and-tour-bookings/
• Education and Care Services National Regulations 2011 
• Guide to the National Quality Standard 2011.

Further reading and useful websites

• https://www.education.vic.gov.au/parents/child-care-kindergarten/Pages/early-start-kindergarten.aspx
• choklits.com.au/enrolments-and-tour-bookings/

Policy review

The Service encourages staff and parents to be actively involved in the annual review of each of its policies and procedures. In addition, the Service will accommodate any new legislative changes as they occur and any issues identified as part the Service’s commitment to quality improvement. The Service consults with relevant recognised authorities as part of the annual review to ensure the policy contents are consistent with current research and contemporary views on best practice.