Changes to the Child Care Subsidy Minister’s Rules: Are you across them?

Changes to the Child Care Subsidy Minister’s Rules 2017 (Minister’s Rules) came into effect on 22 July 2024, aiming to provide families with preschool children with more options for affordable before-and-after hours care and help families make informed financial decisions about early childhood education and care.

 

A number of other changes also came into play from 22 July, specifically:

 

• Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) services can now also provide care primarily to preschool aged children either side of preschool sessions. (Previously, an OSHC service could only provide care primarily to school aged children.)

 

This change will create more flexibility and different models of care for preschool aged children. It will provide greater access to wrap around care to help meet families’ needs.

 

• From 22 July, large providers will have an additional month to report financial information, increasing from 3 to 4 months from the end of their reporting period.

 

This change helps to reduce regulatory burden by aligning due dates with the other government reporting requirements.

 

• From 22 July, early childhood and education providers can advertise their charitable activities to prospective families.

 

This new exemption to the ban of certain types of inducements allows providers to advertise their social impact.

 

For those in the family day care (FDC) sector, a change of note is that FDC providers, from 22 July 2024, must notify the Department of the location where care is provided by their FDC educators, and also when a FDC educator is no longer engaged by their service.

 

This change, the Department notes, will improve the accuracy of the information held by the department relating to educators engaged by the provider.

 

An impending change of note is that from 1 September, ECEC providers must notify the Department of fees twice a year in a move designed to improve fee transparency. The change will help families make informed financial decisions about early childhood education and care.

 

To remain current with any changes the Department encourages readers to subscribe to its newsletter and join its Facebook group.