1. Are meals provided?
The Centre provides a nutritionally balanced menu that incorporates all of the five major food groups and represents a variety of cultural backgrounds. The Centre employs a permanent on site cook who works in partnership with families when discussing individual dietary requirements. Barry Beckett Children’s Centre is a nut free Centre. The centre will accommodate children with allergies and special dietary needs. Halal meat products are used to meet the needs of the community. The Centre cook prepares three meals a day. We offer a vegetarian option that closely resembles the main meal. Fresh drinking water is available throughout the day both indoors and out. Milk is also offered at morning and afternoon tea.

MEAL TIMES
• Breakfast: 7.00am – 7.30am
• Morning Tea: 8:30- 9am
• Lunch: 11.30am
• Afternoon Tea: 2.30pm
• Late Snack: 5.30pm

2. What do I need to bring to the centre?
A comfort item such as a soft toy or blanket. One nappy for home time. Nappies for throughout the day are supplied. Children’s milk (other than cow’s milkor soy). Children’s bottles must be clearly labeled with your child’s name. A clearly labeled hat that ensures protection from the sun’s harmful rays or warm hat ( beanie) during winter. A clearly labeled bag containing at least one full change of clearly labeled clothes. For those children toilet training several changes of clothing will need to be provided. Please refer to the toilet training policy and consult with your child’s carer for further details.

3. How do I pay fees?
Barry Beckett Children’s Centre is a non-profit organization and is financed through parent fees. A budget is calculated for each calendar year by the Centre Co-ordinator, bookkeeper and the Committee Treasurer; daily and weekly fees are then set and approved by the Management. Fees can be paid weekly or fortnightly by eftpos/credit card or by direct debit. On enrolment all families are required to pay two weeks fees deposit to secure the place.

Fees for long day care are set at $107 per day from 1 January 2017.

4. Do I still need to pay fees if my child is sick or on holidays?
Families need to continue to pay fee for all Victorian public holidays, sick days, holidays or any other absent days. Fees are not charged for the time the Centre is closed over the Christmas / New Year holiday period and this is a period of approximately 3 weeks. Each year the Centre Co-ordinator will advise families of the dates that the centre will close and re-open.

5. Do I receive any financial assistance from the Government to help pay my fees?
Assistance with fees is available to eligible families through the Family Assistance Office (FAO) and is called Child Care Benefit (CCB). The Family Assistance Office will determine your percentage rebate after assessing eligibility. All families must register with the Family Assistance Office and obtain a Customer Reference Number to obtain Child Care Benefit or any tax benefits that you may be eligible for. The Child Care Rebate is another payment available for parents or guardians who are working, studying or training. The Child Care Rebate is not income tested. For more information contact the Family Assistance Office on 13 6150.

6. Do the children get to play outside?
The staff at Barry Beckett feel that the outdoor program is just as important for learning as the indoor program. Being a purpose built centre all of the three rooms have access to outdoor play spaces and the children are able to choose when they would like to play outside. We have three outdoor play spaces, one large yard for the older children and a smaller yard for the youngest group the Explorers and a play space for the kinder group. In our yard we have a chicken run with 5 chickens. The children care for the chickens, collecting their eggs and feeding them their food scraps. Even during the cooler months families are encouraged to bring along warm coats and beanies so that the children can continue to play outside.