Dear Families,

We are writing to inform you of an upcoming adjustment to our OSHC fees.

From Week 4, commencing 16 February 2025, OSHC fees will increase by an initial 4.2%. Please note that this is our first fee increase since 2023.

This decision has been made to align with the continued growth of our service and to ensure we can sustainably support our community while retaining our valued educators and maintaining the high standard of program delivery you expect.

We understand that fee increases can be challenging. To support our families, we have made the decision to implement the increase in two six-month stages, rather than applying the full increase at once. Families will be notified separately with a minimum of two weeks’ notice prior to the second stage taking effect later in the year.

OSHC Fees from Week 4 – 16 February 2025 (4.2% Increase)

Service Type	Current Fee	Fee from 16 Feb 2025
BSC Permanent	$25.00	$26.05
BSC Casual	$27.00	$28.13
ASC Permanent	$34.00	$35.43
ASC Casual	$36.00	$37.51
Early Finish Care	$40.00	$41.68
Pupil Free Day	$68.00	$70.86
Vacation Care – In House	$68.00	$70.86
Vacation Care – Incursion	$75.00	$78.15
Vacation Care – Excursion	$90.00	$93.78

We sincerely appreciate your ongoing support and trust in our service. If you have any questions or would like to discuss this change further, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Regards,

Ally Gradisar

OSHC Director

Bookings are now open for our extremely popular Vacation Care program! Please book in fast to secure your space, waitlists may apply on some days.

OSHC

Our high quality Out of School Hours Care (OSHC) program is available before and after school each day of the school's term. The service is run by qualified and experienced educators, in a dedicated on-site OSHC centre for the benefit of the school's own students and the wider community. Our popular and creative Vacation Care program is designed to emphasise holiday fun both while on site and on excursions. We also work together with the Hackham East Kindergarten to support families who are unable to facilitate the drop off and collection of their child.

Before School Care

Before School Care runs from 7.00 am until the classrooms open at 8.40 am. This service is offered to ensure children are cared for in a safe and welcoming environment. The service provides a breakfast bar containing a variety of nutritious cereals, toast with spreads and fruits. The children are able to enjoy breakfast at their leisure up until 8:15. Programmed activities are offered throughout the morning. Junior Primary children are escorted to their classes at 8.40 am, the reception children being assisted during the earlier terms to settle into class. Middle and Upper Primary children are released to walk to class once the bell has rung at 8.40 am. The kindergarten children are walked to the kindy before their 8:45 start and are helped to settle into their day. A safe travel agreement must be completed for all children upon enrolment.

After School Care

After-School care enables families to work a full day, enjoy some respite or know that, should they be late for any reason, their child is cared for. The service is overseen by our Director Ally, who is supported by educators based on the national ratio standards for school aged children 1:15 for school aged children & 1:11 for preschool children. The service is available from 3.00 pm to 6.00 pm. Families can use this service on a casual basis or register for permanent reoccurring bookings. Children must be booked in prior to arrival, unless in an emergency. Bookings are taken over the phone, via text or email and in person. We also offer care during Pupil Free days & early finishes. Reception children will be collected from their classrooms and walked over to the service during term one. Any Kindergarten children will be brought over by their Kindy teachers. During after school care the children are offered afternoon tea comprising of a fruit & vegetable platter and then a carbohydrate/dairy based snack. The children are supported to complete any reading or homework as part of the services afternoon routine. Children are regularly asked for their input and the program is planned with the children as the focus. The afternoon consists of a wide selection of activities both planned and spontaneous. All Out of School Hours Care services are required to adhere to the National Quality Standards with regards to staff ratios, qualified staff, programming and planning, and more. Please ensure that where possible you do book your child in as required, as we are only licensed for 59 children. A safe travel agreement must be completed for all children upon enrolment.

Vacation Care

The Vacation Care program provides quality care for children from Kindy (4 years old) till year 6. The service aims to create safe, caring and stimulating recreational environments for all children. Vacation Care operates between 7.00 am and 6.00 pm, children can stay for as long as they need to. The fee is a set price for the day, which is an 11-hour session. We offer breakfast and afternoon tea, which is a fruit and veg platter and then a secondary snack option.

Excursions to places like the Cinemas, Bounce and Wildlife parks occur at least twice a week along with incursions such as Virtual Reality and Super Discos are held weekly. Children from the wider community are welcomed to partake in our program when spaces are available.

In 2023 we became an accredited Activated OSHC, Activated OSHC is an accreditation program designed to help OSHC services use the new Physical Activity and Screen Time Guidelines. The Activated OSHC program provides the tools and online training for OSHC services to put the new guidelines in place and help children in their service become more active, happier, and healthier.

We aim to provide an inclusive environment to all that use our service, we have a SIP (strategic inclusion plan) which allows us to provide the best care for all of the children in our care, if your child has a diagnosis you will be asked to complete a permission to share form when you provide the child’s diagnosis. Does your child have any special interests? We'll endeavour to incorporate these into their time with us. Please ensure that any tools that they use during their day to day (headphones, sign cards, regulation tools etc.) are brought with them to the service so we can best support them.

If your child has a medical condition you will need to provide a medical management plan, sign an authorisation to display medical information and also participate in the development of your child’s individual (medial) risk minimisation and communication plan. The child cannot attend until these have been completed/received. Medication MUST have a pharmacy label attached and be in the original packaging.

Fees & Payments

Our fee structure changes with the type of session. We offer before school & after school care, as well as pupil free days and vacation care. The fees have been outlined below, please be aware that these are the prices BEFORE any CCS (Child Care Subsidy) has been applied should you be eligible and is the price per session.

Term time

Before School $25 - $27 casual

After School $34 - $36 casual

Early Finish - $40 (last day of term)

Pupil Free - $68

Vacation care

Inhouse $68

Incursion $75

Excursion $90

We require a $50 security deposit prior to commencement, this is held until you wish to withdraw from the service and have cleared your account of any outstanding fees. If your account is closed due to non-payment, we will retain the bond.

The payment can be made to the following account:

Hackham East School Council OSHC

BSB 105-136

ACC #051540040

No cash payments are accepted.

Invoices are sent out weekly. To have any CCS applied to your account, you will need to apply for CCS via Centrelink prior to commencement and then accept the enrolment in your Mygov - Centrelink account once the enrolment has been accepted by the centre. Please ensure all CRN and birth dates are correct on the enrolment form. Please be advised that we will require your accounts to be paid weekly in full upon receipt of your statement unless there has been previous discussion with the Director to arrange an alternative. Any accounts with outstanding amounts of more than a week, will not be permitted to use the service until the amount owing is paid in full. We are more than happy to calculate your gap payment amount, so you can easily project and track how much you will owe each week. The "Payment of Fees Policy" is available to view at the service.

A completed enrolment does not guarantee available spaces, waitlists may be present during some periods.

Our service is located on the far left of the school, at the end of the carpark directly opposite Foodland.

We are contactable by Phone on 0437198833 or via email oshc.director286@schools.sa.edu.au

We look forward to welcoming you and your child into our service!

SERVICE PHILOSOPHY

At Hackham East out of School Hours Care (OSHC), we strive to engage our families in high quality programs that are inclusive, engaging and most importantly fun! We seek to closely emulate the environment and care that a child would receive whilst at home. We promote learning and development, with a particular emphasis on play, social interactions, relaxation and recreation. Our philosophy on wellbeing, development and learning outcomes for our children, reflect both the “My Time, Our Place” & “Belonging, Being & Becoming” Early Years Learning frameworks. Our programs and environment are designed with consideration in mind of each child’s unique gifts, interests and complexities. A focus on the identity and wellbeing of the child means we can cultivate confident and engaged learners.

We align ourselves with the school's ethos of "We Care, Share and Learn" and value and recognise that each child is important and has individual needs and rights. We place great importance on inclusion. An inclusive atmosphere allows children to feel ‘at home’ and feeling at home helps them to better participate and interact with the environments that we create. This also creates a culture of safety and the capacity for open and honest conversation and support. We encourage children to explore a wide range of activities and experiences across different areas and play zones to engage and create meaningful learning experiences, to inspire deep engagement and foster curiosity. Our environment is structured in a way that promotes positive encounters, communication and relationship building.

Our educators are sensitive to the needs of our community and aim to build trusting and reciprocal relationships through open communication with those who use the service. Building strong bonds between families and educators is an integral part of solidifying our ‘OSHC community’. We endeavour to understand and value each family’s unique history, culture, language, traditions, child rearing practices and beliefs in a celebration of diversity. The service also endeavours to create strong links within the school and the external community in order to allow the children access to different experiences and gain a deeper understanding of how the greater community works.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Term 1