childcare for 18 month daughter.

[Cecilia Pryce]

hi rather new to all this - but company relocation to Melbourne has got us all thinking. I have an 18 month old Daughter who is currently with a childminder daily in the UK. she goes to the Childminders house where they have around 5 other kids of different ages etc pre and post school and she loves it. Does anyone have any experiance of something similar in Melbourne - are they the equvilant of OFTED rated etc. also any idea how much child care costs on a daily basis. I have tried various web sites but can't find anything that gives me too much confidence.

[alison]

I am a family day carer in NSW and know its Australia wide and its pretty much the same idea as in the UK, 5 children under 5 yrs. My suggestion is to contact the local council where you will be living, and they can give you more info. ABC long day care centres seem to be taking over from us humble carers but we do exist and are a popular choice for many families who want that home environment.
a

[KazzE]

Hi Cecilia,
saw your post the other day but my computer played up as I was posting and then I forgot to come back



As Alison says they have do family daycarers who are very similar to childminders, they appear to have very good vetting and quality assurance too.

try these sites
http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/

http://www.ncac.gov.au/

Karen

[mandyandbarry]

HI Cecilia
I would definately recommend ABC childcare facilities in Melbourne to anyone with young children. We have been using one for our 3 year old for the last 12 months and she is thriving. The cost is about $250 per week which is comparible with the Uk. They provide meals and nappies. You can use them daily or full time. You acn also use them for occassional care if needed for siblings that attend school and nead a day here and there when they havie teacher training days and you are working! I think they open at 6am and shut at 6.30 pm.
Don't worry , we haven't been dissapointed at all. Very professional.
Mandy x

[Abi&Dan]

Is that $250 pw for full time? That sounds pretty good and makes me feel a lot happier about cash planning!!

[mandyandbarry]

Yes, that's full time.
Mandy x

[Cecilia Pryce]

thanks for the info - sounds good value - are there many around? and do they have a waiting list? we hope to get to Melbourne in October and my office will be Chapel Street, South Yarra. Do they have a website?

Cecilia.

[mandyandbarry]

Hi Cecilia
There are plenty of ABC Centres knocking about. I have just had a quick look for any near Chapel St and there are 3 in striking distance which you could use on the way to work. There is always the possibility of using one closer to home. I use the one at Mount Martha East then drive 45 mins to work. There wasn't a waiting list at that one. Don't know about the others. The website is www.chidcare.com.au You can enter a suburb to find the nearest one, prices, opening hours, everything you need.
Good Luck
Mandy x