BY BONNIE LAXTON-BLINKHORN, KINDICARE

JUNE 2, 2022

If home is where the heart is for your child, then family day care could be a great option.  

Family day care is an approved type of early childhood education and care that has been operating in Australia for more than 30 years. 

Family day care educators are qualified and experienced professionals who provide personalised education and care to small groups of children, all within the cosy comfort of the educator’s own home. 

With its flexible and personal approach, family day care is the childcare of choice for some 90,000 Australian children every year. 

It’s flexible because family day care educators run their own businesses, giving them freedom to choose their hours of operation. This means some operators offer care above and beyond the usual, this may include, before and after school care, vacation care as well as weekend and overnight care. 

This is a huge bonus for shift workers and people who work unpredictable hours.  

Laura Howden from Family Day Care Australia says that in addition to increased flexibility, family day care offers a range of benefits that may be more difficult to replicate in larger, centre-based services.  

“For children, family day care means a child-centric approach to play and discovery within a nurturing home environment. 
 
“For parents, family day care means knowing that their child has the benefit of personalised curriculums and one-on-one attention.” 

The National Quality Framework outlines the ratio of educators to children in early learning settings and in family day care, one educator can be responsible for seven children at a time including a maximum of four children of preschool age or younger. This includes the educator’s own children if there is no other adult available to care for them.     

Just like centre-based educators, family day care providers must meet strict qualifications requirements and be trained in first aid, and asthma and anaphylaxis management.   

Laura says the five most fabulous things about family day care are that it: 
 
1. Offers flexible care that suits each family’s lifestyle 
2. Leads to friendships between educators and families that span generations 
3. Provides focused educational programs to ensure no child gets left behind 
4. Offers fantastic home environments that cater to a diverse range of needs and interests 
5. Takes a family-first approach 

Choosing family day care  

If you’re interested in family day care the first step is to search KindiCare to learn which providers are near you and then book a time to go and see them. Remember, each educator will have a different approach, so you might need to check out a few to work out your perfect match.  

According to Wendy Boyd, an education lecturer at Southern Cross University, it can help to ask yourself the following questions when visiting a provider: 

• is the care child-focused, or time-focused? (For example, are nap times tailored to each child or grouped at the same time of day?) 
• how many children does the educator have each day and what are their ages? 
• what learning experiences are available for the children each day and will this suit my child? 
• do the children attend a playgroup during the week? For some parents, this represents bonus social interaction opportunities but for others it’s not a priority 
• are meals provided and if so, how is the menu determined? 
• how does the educator manage supervision of children indoors and outdoors? 
• are there other people in the home when family day care is provided and how do you feel about that? 
• what ratings did the family day care service achieve under the National Quality Standards (more on that in a minute)? 
• does the cost suit your budget? 

For more info about family day care click here, and if you’re convinced it’s right for you then use KindiCare to search for and compare high quality providers nearby!