All Your Questions
Schools FAQs’
Our involvement required in becoming an Accredited Safeguarding Children Organisation
School Plus is very committed at EVERY level to keep our children safe, therefore our commitment to Safeguarding children is our DNA. Undertaking Safeguarding Children Accreditation is a detailed, multi-stage process that requires a significant investment of time and resourcing. It is also the only accreditation scheme in Australia to have endorsement by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). As a team, we are building this safeguarding children framework into every Patch to keep all children safe and support educators to build strong healthy relationships, embrace inclusivity and promote diversity.
Our minimum attendances required to offer a program at Our School
School Plus is committed to supporting schools to offer School Plus Program. The minimum number of children can vary depending on how long your operating hours are, staffing and resourcing. Please contact us for further Information and will work with you to support what your school community need are.
Administration Fees for families.
Simply there are NO admin Fees charged to our families. We know how important it is to encourage all families to enrol their child to School Plus, therefore we are committed to no charge annual enrolment fees and there are no minimum amount of bookings required. We want School Plus to be affordable for all our families.
Educators training prior to commencement at your school
All our Educators have completed the Australian Childhood Foundation Accredited Child Protection Training before commencing at our schools and will also have completed the School Plus Induction and Training program. This Induction involves a combination of face to face, online and practical training.
Parents
Tell me more about the Program offered at School Plus?
School Plus’s weekly programs are developed with Child’s Voice at the forefront and every patch is designed based on the feedback provided by the children through our VOICE APP.
Tell me about the Menu at School Plus
With regular consultation with our very own Practising Dietician, Melanie guides Leaders to offer children a balanced, healthy and delicious menu for children to eat every day.
My child is encouraged to bring along:
- A hat is required as per our Sun Protection Policy
- Any medication required
Our Program hours at School Plus…
My child attends Extra Curricular Activities after school
My Child is Starting school in Prep in the new year, and want to attend the holiday program prior to Term 1….
My child is in prep or new to the program and may not know where School Plus is…
Our Educators will be in School Plus and will collect all Prep/Foundation age children. Any new child starting our Patch Leader will talk with you to ensure that your child comes safely to School Plus.
Unable to collect my child…
COVID -19
What measures do you have in place for COVID?
School Plus has a COVID Safe Plan which is implemented at all of our programs.
What to do if my child is unwell?
MEDICAL MANAGEMENT AND COURT ORDERS
It is really important that we obtain all required documentation and/or medication prior to your child attendings to ensure we operate in line with the Education and Care National Laws and Regulations.
Unfortunately, if we do not have the required documentation and/or medication, your child will be unable to attend.
What do I need to do if my child has a medical condition or specific health need?
If you child has a medical condition you will need to either upload your child’s action plan from the doctor to their enrolment or work with the Leader at the program to complete a Specific Health Need Form. You will also need to complete a Risk Minimisation form in consultation with the Patch Leader. All documentation is required prior to your child attending, including any medication.
What do I need to know if my child has additional need/s?
If your child has additional need/s a support plan is to be developed in consultation with your Leader.
What do I need to know if my child has a court order?
Any court orders must be uploaded to the child’s enrolment form prior to your child attending the program.
PARENTS CCS
How do I enrol my child into Before, After or a Holiday Program?
You can easily enrol your child into one of our programs by locating your school on our website. Locate School or Program
Once you are here, select the school and click on enrol here. You will then commence the registration process, where you will then receive an email asking you to set up a password. Once you have set up your password you can then finalise your child’s registration including entering medical history, CRN details and frequency of care required. The following OWNA Parent Handbook will step you through the registration process.
If you don’t receive an email within two minutes, please check your junk mail as this may be where the email is hiding. If not, and you still need assistance please contact our Customer Care Team on 07 3395 8099 who will be happy to assist you.
How do I confirm my enrolment through MyGov to obtain Child Care Subsidy (CCS)?
To confirm your enrolment through myGov to receive your Child Care Subsidy (CCS) you need to either download the myGov app, if you haven’t already done so, login, click on Child Care Subsidy and then Enrolments, where you can then review the enrolment details for each child and confirm or change.
Further assistance can be found in the following guide: https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/individuals/online-help/centrelink/confirm-your-childs-enrolment-details-child-care-subsidy#a2
How will the Child Care Subsidy (CCS) be Paid?
CCS is paid directly to School Plus and credited straight to your account so that you are only charged the gap fee between the subsidy and fee charged.
How is the Child Care Subsidy (CCS) Calculated?
The Australian Government Child Care Subsidy helps families with the cost of approved child care.
The subsidy is calculated based on a number of factors, including your family's income, the type of child care, and the hours of recognised activities you and your partner do.
You can find further information on this at:
Why am I being charged full fees, when I should be getting Child Care Subsidy (CCS)?
There are a number of reasons you may not be receiving the Child Care Subsidy and therefore being charged the full fees:
- You have not yet accepted/confirmed School Plus as your child care provider within myGov.
- You have not started or completed your myGov assessment
- Your family income is above $530,000 per annum and therefore you are not entitled to CCS
- The account holder is not the same as the parent eligible for CCS via myGov and therefore the account needs to be updated to reflect the parent with the eligible Customer Reference Number (CRN).
What happens if I am running late to collect my child from care?
Sometimes things happen where you are unavoidably late to collect your child from care. We ask that you firstly call the Leader at the program to let them know that you are on your way.
Children collected after the closing time will be charged at $1 per minute per child that you are late.
Do I have to make permanent bookings, or can I book as I need?
You may know in advance that you will consistently require care for your child/ren and can then book these simply as a weekly or fortnightly occurrence. This is classed as a permanent booking and this information must be confirmed through your myGov account to ensure you receive the correct Child Care Subsidy (CCS) to avoid paying full fees for your child’s attendances.
If you only require occasional sessions of care with no regular days required, these are classed as casual bookings. This information must also be confirmed through your myGov account to ensure you receive the correct Child Care Subsidy (CCS) to avoid paying full fees for your child’s attendances.
Where is the service operating?
To check the location of the program within the school, locate the program on our website Holiday Programs and click on program profile. Here you will find a map of the school with the location of where the program is located marked. Alternatively you can call our Customer Care Team on 07 3395 8099 who will be able to assist you.
What happens if my child has a diagnised medical conditions?
School Plus is an inclusive program for all children, regardless of whether they have special needs, medical conditions or allergies.
When completing your enrolment, you are required to list any special needs, medical conditions or allergies that your child may have, each condition is dealt with individually and requires a medical management plan to be developed and or a Risk Minimisation Plan.
What is happening in my program this week?
School Plus adds real value in each activity we offer children. We present a wide array of activities to spark imagination and foster creativity in every individual program. Some of the types of activities we run include performing arts, gardening, creative moments, team games and mindfulness activities.
If you would like to know what activities are being done in your Before Schoool Program, After School Program or Vacation Care Program we suggest you drop into the program and speak with the Leader, who will be able to show you the program that is planned for the children attending.
Do I need to pack food for my child if they attend Before School Care, After School Care or a Holiday Program?
No, for those children attending before and after school care programs, we will provide them with a healthy and nutritious breakfast or afternoon tea. The selection of breakfast options available includes, wholemeal toast with various spreads, low sugar cereals, pancakes, muffins, raisin toast, yoghurt and other specialty breakfast items.
For afternoon tea there will be a selection of seasonal fresh fruit and vegetables, soups, sandwiches, wraps, stir fries, pasta, muffins and other tasty items available. Both breakfast and afternoon tea have milk, and water available for the children.
These selections are also provided during our Vacation Care programs, with parents required to pack their child lunch for the day.