Bookings
Meela Child Care Centre is open to all families and enrolment at the Centre is in accordance with the Commonwealth Priority of Access Guidelines.
Families are welcome to complete an Expression of Interest/Wait List Form. Families are encouraged to contact Meela at regular intervals to check the waitlist and update any information. The enrolment procedure is outlined in the Parent/Guardian Handbook.
Settling in
Always say goodbye to your child and let them know you will return. If your child has a special comfort item, please feel free to bring it along as this helps the child to feel secure. When dropping your child off please discuss your child’s care needs with one of their educators and by filling out the Child Introduction Sheet attached to the enrolment form, this assists our educators in caring for your child. Educators are always available to discuss settling strategies with you. Families are more than welcome to call the centre at any time to speak to one of their child’s educators on how their child is settling to give you peace of mind.
Making the decision to place your child in an education and care service is often a big step for you as a family. At Meela we encourage you to visit the Centre between 9.30 – 11.00 am and 2.30 – 4.00 pm to have a tour of the Centre before enrolling. Please call us on 9227 9886 to book an appointment. This will allow you and your child to meet the Educators, familiarise yourself with our facilities, curriculum and routines before commencing at Meela. This visit assists in making the transition to care much easier for the child and you as the parent.
After making the decision to enrol, it is recommended that you and your child have short visits initially of around 1 -2 hours to provide security and to enable the child to familiarise themselves with the area.
Always say goodbye to your child and let them know that you will return. If your child has a special comfort item, please feel free to bring it along as this helps with the child developing a sense of belonging and being. When dropping off your child please discuss your child’s care needs with one of the Educators. Completing the Child Introduction Sheet, which is attached to the Enrolment Form also assists the Educators in caring for your child. Educators are always available to discuss settling strategies with you. Families are more than welcome to call Meela at any time to speak to one of your child’s Educators on how your child is settling.
What to bring
Packing a bag for childcare is part of your child’s journey. It is important for your child’s sense of belonging to have the following items:
- A bag clearly labelled with your child’s name
- Appropriate footwear
- Hat (sunscreen if your child requires a particular brand)
- Drink bottle (water only)
- Bed linen for rest time (size of normal cot sheet)
- Enough nappies for the day
- Milk formula in its original container (if required)
- Milk bottles for the day (if required)
We understand that a child may have a special comforter that they would like to bring to Meela, this is encouraged however, bringing toys is not allowed. Meela is a education and care facility and has to be able to cater for all children regardless of circumstances and it is difficult for the child if they bring their toy and it gets lost or damaged. Any toy that is brought into Meela will be placed in the Director’s office until the child is collected.
Please ensure that all articles are labelled with your child’s name, as we cannot accept responsibility for any lost items.
Food
Please be aware that we are an Allergy Aware Centre and NO food is to be brought into the premises at any time.
Attendance
When you drop your child off and collect your child from the Centre you are required to sign the attendance record by our online attendance system located in the foyer by the office window. This is a compulsory requirement of the Education and Care Regulatory Unit and DEEWR. Absent days must be confirmed by a parent/guardian, failure to do so may also affect any Centrelink entitlements. The Centre will only release your child to people authorized on your enrolment form. Each authorised person will be able to sign in and out with their mobile number and 4 digit pin. If you have arranged for someone else to pick up your child you must notify the service in writing of this arrangement. Photo ID will also need to be shown to educators before we can release your child to the nominated person.
Cancellation of booking/Absence
All cancellations of attendance must be provided in writing and 4 weeks’ notice is required. If your child is absent, please contact the centre via phone or email to notify your child’s educators by 9:30 am.
If your child is absent on the first or last booked day of care, full fees apply as no Child Care Benefit or Child Care Rebate are payable on these days.
Late pick up
Families who arrive late to collect their child after closing time (6.00pm) will be charged a late fee of $2 per minute per child with a minimum fee of $5.00. If you are going to be late, please contact the Centre as soon as possible so staffing arrangements can be made. We recommend families aim to collect their children by 5:45pm to give enough time to collect your child’s belongings and talk to our educators about their day. Continuous late collection may result in your placement being reviewed by the Centre Director.
