5 ways to make childcare cheaper for your family (fingers crossed!).

Childcare comes at a sizeable cost for Australian families, but there are things you can do to bring down your out-of-pocket expenses.

A bit of detective work and some lifestyle changes may put more money in the family budget, and although super cheap childcare is hard to find, and the cost of living remains sky high, there are ways to make childcare less expensive.

Here are 5 strategies which may cut your early learning costs a little – or a lot!

1. Shop around for lower fees.

Although cost isn’t the only consideration when searching for high-quality childcare, some services are cheaper than others, and it pays to compare your favourites and choose the one that offers quality and availability for less coin.

KindiCare makes this easy.

Each search result shows the fees applicable, and KindiCare’s Childcare Comparison Tool puts your favourite services, and their costs, side-by-side.

Changing your search location and/or service type may bring fees down (for example, if you work in an expensive area, but live in a more affordable one), and KindiCare also lists special offers that make certain services cheaper at certain times.

Also, make sure you look at each service’s Value-for-Money Rating, which tells you whether the price a service is charging is good value for money, compared to other services of the same type in the same area. 

It’s also good to know that some providers offer an all-inclusive fee structure, which includes things like meals, nappies, incursions and excursions in the daily fee, and you might find that this kind of fee structure is more budget-friendly for your family. 

2. Explore the government assistance available to you.

The Child Care Subsidy (CCS) reduces the out-of-pocket fees families pay, so you should definitely investigate your eligibility for this and put in a claim if you meet the criteria.

You might also be eligible for the Additional Child Care Subsidy or other payments that help with the cost of child-raising, so it’s wise to enter your details into Centrelink’s Payment and Service Finder and see what comes up!

3. Think about how much formal childcare you need.

Many families need long hours of care, but if you have semi-flexible hours or conditions, you might be able to cut childcare costs by booking fewer hours of formal care.

For example, sharing a work-from-home arrangement with your partner could mean your child doesn’t need so many full day sessions.

And you may get more bang for your CCS buck if you enrol your child in a provider that charges an hourly fee, rather than a daily one (see how this works here).

You may also save cash by using a mix of formal and informal childcare.

Grandparent care and parent share arrangements (where you and other parents take turns looking after everyone’s kids) can have a really positive effect on the childcare budget.

Just make sure no-one feels short-changed by what’s expected of them.

4. Choose your employer wisely.

Some employers allow employees to salary sacrifice their childcare fees, so you might like to put your feelers out with HR, and if you’re an early childhood educator with kids in care, you should definitely investigate what fee assistance is available to you.

Some providers offer medium to MASSIVE discounts to educators with children enrolled at their service, and a great discount can make a real difference to your earnings and childcare expenses.

5. Make budget-friendly changes to your childcare habits.

Once you’ve done all you can to reduce the fees you pay, you can also ease the childcare budget by making changes to how you approach care.

Cars aren’t cheap to run, so you may be able to save money by walking, cycling or using public transport for drop-off and pick-up.

Affordable op shop clothes and free hand-me-downs are also ideal for early learning, because messy play is part of the program; and if you’re responsible for packing childcare lunches, you’ll save on grocery bills by serving in-season, unpackaged food.   

There are also practical ways to cut costs at home, leaving more cash for childcare and everything else. 

The government suggests simple ways to save money here, and although changes to childcare fees, interest rates, rental costs and petrol prices are out of your control, a solid budget can help you cope – both emotionally and fiscally.

We hope all of this helps, and wish you well with your spending and, of course, earning!