Children's Services

Since the outbreak, we have undertaken a range of additional infection prevention measures outside of our already exemplary hygiene and safety practices regarding cleaning of toys, equipment, bathrooms, change rooms and our food handling. These include:

• A COVID-19 risk assessment and plan in place for each service
• Increased audits of our health and hygiene practices
• Cancellation of all excursions
• Limiting visitors to the service and those who are required to visit. All essential visitors, such as Vacation Care incursion suppliers, need to supply us with their health and hygiene protocols to go into our risk assessments
• We have posters requesting anyone who is unwell should not enter our service and should seek medical advice
• We are following these practices to minimise the risk

Effective from from 6pm Thursday 23 December, masks will be mandatory in public indoor settings in the Perth/Peel region until at least 6am Tuesday 28 December or until Government directives change.

All parents and staff must wear a mask in our centres during this time unless they have a medical exemption.

Early Learning Centres

All of our centres are open and operating business as usual, offering care for children of both essential and non-essential workers. Families must wear masks will in the service. We continue to practice social distancing and hand hygiene and ask that you do the same as per government health directives.

Family Day Care

Our educators are operating their services business as usual, offering care for children of both essential and non-essential workers. Families must wear masks will in the service. We continue to practice social distancing and hand hygiene and ask that you do the same as per government health directives.

Please check with your local Family Day Care educator directly if you have any questions regarding their operation.

Outside School Hours Care

All OSHC services are open and operating business as usual, offering care for children of both essential and non-essential workers. Families must wear masks will in the service. We continue to practice social distancing and hand hygiene and ask that you do the same as per government health directives.

Vacation care will operate as normal.

The Australian Government has announced directives that will affect attendance for the following:

• Anyone (educator, parent or child) returning from overseas or interstate must self-isolate for 14 days.
• Anyone (educator, parent or child) returning from a cruise, even only if in Australian waters, must self-isolate for 14 days.
• Anyone (educator, parent or child) who has had close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19 must not attend our child centre for 14 days following the exposure and prior to returning must obtain medical clearance to do so.

If you don’t meet the above criteria, then yes you can still attend as normal!

Please call us immediately if you, your child or member of your household is:

• Under investigation for a suspected case or being tested for COVID-19
• Has been in close contact with a confirmed cased of COVID-19
• Has travelled too or via an overseas travel destination and is in isolation
• A confirmed case of COVID-19

There will be no change to our cancellation policy at this time. In the event a service being shut down we will notify you via email and families will not be charged for the session, nor will there be cancellation fees. We ask you keep your bookings in our system during this time, so when services reopen, we can provide staffing to meet the demand.

Until then, we are operating business as usual and continuing to provide exceptional childcare.

We understand many families’ working arrangements and care needs may have changed in this difficult time and some may wish to cancel/alter an early learning centre, OSHC or Vacation Care booking. Please see a summary of terms and conditions below:

• Current families who choose to cancel care due to being concerned about COVID-19 will still be charged two weeks’ notice – cessation of care will still apply.
• Current families who are required to go into self-isolation will still be charged as an absence day(s) – as the government has confirmed this is an allowable absence.
• New families who are delaying starting care or not yet started who cancel can be waived the notice period as they haven’t been charged as yet.
• If a service was to close, or a room in an early learning centre, or a school were to close and we weren’t able to provide a service then no families will be charged any fees.
• Vacation Care is considered as casual booking so families can cancel vacation care bookings within two weeks of vacation care starting without any fee.
• Casual bookings in early learning centres can also be cancelled with the relevant notices.

If and when the situation changes, based on State or Federal Government directives or a change in circumstance, we will move quickly to act accordingly. In this case, we will be emailing families with information. Please ensure the centre has your most recent contact details.

The best thing you and your family can do is practice safe hygiene, wash your hands with hot water and soap regularly and avoid touching your face.

If you begin to feel unwell with flu like symptoms, including fever, cough, sore throat or shortness of breath, you should seek your doctor’s advice.

For more information on Coronavirus (COVID-19), please visit Australian Department of Health, contact the National Coronavirus Health Information Line on 1800 020 080 (in Australia).

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