Making The Most of Your CSS Hours

Know Your Eligibility

To calculate your Child Care Subsidy (CCS) hours the government looks at a variety of factors, including your total family income and the hourly rate of the child care centre.

Under this system, parents doing a suitable activity will be able to access the Child Care Subsidy.  An activity test that calculates the level of activity of the least active family member will then determine their eligible hours.

So what counts as a suitable activity?

Don’t make the mistake of assuming that only paid working hours will be considered. Under the new system, activity counts as:

• Paid work
• Volunteering
• Work experience/internships both paid and unpaid
• Study
• Training
• Authorised leave, such as maternity leave, long service leave or annual leave.
• Unpaid leave of up to 6 months
• Unpaid work in a family business
• Setting up a new business
• Looking for work
• Commute from childcare centre to work

As a minimum, all Kindergarten students are entitled to thirty-six hours of care.

Using Your Hours

Once you have determined the CCS hours that you are eligible for, you can look at how best to utilise them. The hours and days of care required varies for every family, and the available session times will be dependent on your chosen child care centre.

Six Hour Sessions

Six-hour sessions are an excellent way to make the most of your CCS hours. A parent with twelve subsidised hours per week can spread their hours across two days rather than using them up in one twelve-hour session.

At the Strawberry Bush, we offer six-hour session from 8.30am to 2.30pm to assist families in making the most of their hours.

Nine Hour Sessions

Nine-hour sessions are ideal for parents with Kindergarten aged children. As a minimum, all Kindergarten students are entitled to thirty-six hours.  A nine-hour session will allow you to divide your hours evenly across four days.

At the Strawberry Bush, we offer nine-hour exclusively to Kindergarten aged children. Parents can choose between an 8am to 5pm session or a 7.30am to 4.30pm session.

12 Hour Sessions

Twelve-hour sessions are ideal for working parents who require a full day of care. At The Strawberry Bush, we offer twelve-hour sessions from 6.30am to 6.30pm.

To learn more about the Child Care subsidy, visit the government’s website here.

At The Strawberry Bush Early Learning Academy, we believe in working with our families to make sure they are getting the most out of their child care subsidy. Contact us today to learn more.