Family daycare offers families the unique opportunity to engage their child in an early childhood education and care program, in a small group within a home based setting.

Children are nurtured and cared for in the homes of approved family day care educators who are resourced supported and monitored by a central coordination unit. This network of educators, coordination unit and families is collectively referred to as a family day care scheme.

Flamingo Family Daycare scheme operates within the new National Quality Framework, which aims to raise quality and drive continuous improvement and consistency in education and care services through:

• A national legislative framework
• A national quality standard
• A national quality rating and assessment process
• A new national body called the Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority.

• Families the opportunity to have their children participate in an early childhood education and care programme in small groups in a home based setting with no more than four children under school age. (Maximum of 7 children including school children).
• Children of all ages are provided with child care in the homes of approved and experienced home based educators. Educators are resourced, supported and monitored by the Coordination Unit.
• Flexible care arrangements 7 days per week
• Stimulating and nurturing individualized care and learning experiences
• Play based learning experiences tailored to each child’s developmental stage and interests
• An open relationship between families educators and coordinators
• Care with experienced, qualified professionals with a minimum of certificate III in children’s services

Our Home Based Educators have positive notice blue cards, first aid and CPR, references, medical certificate, public liability insurance, car restraint safety certificate, safe home environments and a commitment to ongoing training.

Family Day Care Educators are self employed operating their child care service with the support and guidance of the coordination unit. Each individual educator sets his or her own fee structure within the guidelines of scheme policies and government regulations. As Choices Family Day Care is an approved child care scheme the Child Care Benefit and Tax Rebates apply.

The Australian Government funding of child care – including the provision of Child Care Benefit and Child Care Tax Rebate to eligible families -assists in helping families in a number of ways:

• Assisting families with the cost of childcare
• Ensuring child care benefit is provided to families who wish to access child care to support their substantial workforce participation
• Helping families to balance their work and parenting roles by promoting and supporting the provision of flexible child care services
• Supporting quality child care, quality assurance of child care services and professional development for the child care sector
• Providing access to early childhood intervention and prevention initiatives for vulnerable families and children through funding quality child care services.