Coogee

Under Construction: Commencing January 2023!

  • St Brigid’s Preschool & Long Day Care
    135B Brook Street, Coogee NSW 2034

  • 02 9568 8628

  • scecs@syd.catholic.edu.au

  • Hours: Monday – Friday: 7:00am – 6:00pm

  • Ages: 0 to 6 years old

join the waitlist
Our Policies
Our Charter

    Opening in 2023 for the Coogee community!

    Dear Parents and Families,

    Sydney Catholic Early Childhood Services (SCECS) are delighted to be working alongside the community at St Brigid’s.

    The decision by families to entrust the care of their child to someone else is immense and we hope that as you come to know us, we will become a trusted, integral part of your family and community.

    As a not-for-profit service, supporting our growing communities, our Catholic values of inclusion, equity and welcome, guide our daily interactions and decision making. Children and their families are central to all that we do at SCECS.

    We want all children to have access to a high quality service with exceptional teachers and educators. Our learning spaces are designed as the ‘third teacher’ offering children the opportunity to grow and flourish in environments that inspire a love of learning and nourish their wellbeing. In conversation with families and carers, we will design programs of education and care that are unique to your child’s needs.

    We look forward to meeting, working and getting to know all the children in our care and their families.
    Franceyn O’Connor
    Chief Executive Officer
    Sydney Catholic Early Childhood Services Ltd

    We believe that we are founded on the person of Jesus Christ and enlivened by the gospel.

    We believe that each child, family and educator is unique and valued individually. We value and honour diversity and accept and celebrate differences in other people. We believe each person and their family’s values, culture, beliefs, abilities and language should be acknowledged and accepted and reflected in our OSHC environment.

    We believe that secure, respectful and nurturing relationships are foundational to a child’s sense of belonging and wellbeing. Our educators provide opportunities for children to develop a strong sense of wellbeing and social competence, where qualities of fairness, humour, empathy and understanding are developed.

    We believe play is essential in children’s lives. We believe play values the ideal of allowing children to “just be” as a right of all children. We believe play should be fun, exciting, spontaneous, hands-on, stimulating, relaxing, comforting and challenging. Indoor and outdoor play will be part of the daily rhythm of the OSHC program.

    We believe children are capable, resourceful and valued members of the community. We believe children should be encouraged and supported to follow their learning interests. Activities during service hours will be matched to children’s interests, providing meaningful and engaging opportunities to create, explore and build knowledge and understanding.

    We believe in supporting and developing a partnership with families to share in the nurturing and education of their children. We encourage each family to participate in the SCECS community and support and welcome their interest and involvement.

    Current Fees

    Preschool and Long Day Care (11 hour session)

    7:00am – 6:00pm

    • 6 weeks – 2 years old – $160
    • 2 – 3 years old – $155
    • 3 – 6 years old – $145

    The daily fee will be reduced if families are eligible for Child Care Subsidy

    The majority of families in our services would not pay the full daily fee because they receive Child Care Subsidy (CCS) from the government.

    Other Fees

    • Special Events: Families will be notified, these may be for events such as incursions at the services
    • Dishonour Fee: If direct debit is declined, families will be notified by SCECS that a family deposit may be debited and bank fees charged.

    Late Fee For Pick-Ups After Service Closing Time

      • 0-15 minutes late: $20.00
      • Every 5 minutes thereafter: $10.00

    *Fees are subject to change, however, you will be notified in writing two weeks prior to any fee changes.

    Absent Fees

    Initial Absence Days

    Like most early childhood services and preschools, your child’s place is reserved when they are away so the day still needs to be paid for. Each financial year, the Family Assistance Office will pay your child’s CCS entitlements for the first 42 absence days. These absences can be for any reason, including public holidays, and the initial 42 days must be used before any additional absences can be claimed (please see below).

    Additional Absence Days

    You may receive CCS for absence days after the initial 42 days each financial year. For all absences beyond the first 42 absent days, CCS will only be paid if you are able to provide evidence to demonstrate the absence has occurred under permitted circumstances. There is no limit on these days, but you will be required to provide documentation to support the absence.

    Exceptional Absence Days

    You may receive CCS for an additional 20 exceptional absence days after the initial 42 absence days per financial year. These entitlements can be claimed without evidence if documentation is provided for 31 of the initial 42 absence days.

    No Charge for Public Holidays

    If a public holiday falls on the day of a permanent booking that you hold, you will NOT be charged for this day.

    Taking Holidays

    Normal fees apply for all absences (including Public Holidays) that fall on a usual day of attendance.

    Withdrawal from Care

    Families provide two week’s written notice to cancel your child’s booked attendance at our services. The two weeks’ advance payment we hold will be applied to your notice period. If your child does not attend their last usual days, full fees will apply. This means that CCS will not be applied.

    Child Care Subsidy

    All families are eligible to apply for Child Care Subsidy (CCS). It is income tested and usually paid directly to the childcare services to reduce the fees that eligible families pay. Families can apply for the CCS online or in person through Centrelink. Once you have contacted Centrelink, you will need to provide the centre with your Parent and Child Customer Reference Number (CRN) to claim CCS.

    Centrelink Office. Ph: 13 61 50.

    Fees – Direct Debit

    All fees are paid by Direct Debit. Fees are paid fortnightly in advance. Payments will be debited from the family’s nominated account, or as otherwise advised. Strict regulations are followed to ensure that this information is confidential. At the beginning of each term, a notice will be emailed to families, outlining the dates that the Direct Debit will be processed.

    Please ensure you have sufficient funds in your account to cover your fortnightly childcare fees. If you have insufficient funds when your Direct Debit is due, please contact the Centre in writing by close of business on the Wednesday of the Direct Debit week. Direct Debit rejections incur a dishonour fee payable by the parent (see current Schedule of Fees above).

    SCECS fortnightly Direct Debit payment system is designed to make payments easy.

    Download the 2020 SCECS Direct Debit Calendar here

    Download the 2021 SCECS Direct Debit Calendar here

    Need to change your payment details?
    To update your nominated bank account or credit card details for direct debit payments, please send your updated details to the SCECS Management Team at scecs@syd.catholic.edu.au

    Late Payments

    Parents are encouraged to discuss any difficulties they may have in paying fees with your SCECS Director. Applications for arrangements in the event of financial hardship should be made to SCECS in writing. If no previous arrangements have been made regarding late payment of fees, SCECS is entitled to terminate the child’s placement after giving one week’s written notice.

    In the event that fees are late due to direct debits being declined because of insufficient funds, SCECS will send one reminder email. At the end of two weeks, the child’s placement will be ended and the family’s deposit debited.

    In the event of reminder letters being issued more than twice in any 2 month period, SCECS reserves the right to terminate a placement without further reminders.

    Invoice / Statements

    Invoices/statements are emailed fortnightly.

    • Importance of Early Learning

      The Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) describes the principles, practices and outcomes essential to young children’s learning from birth to five years of age, as well as their transition to school. It’s part of the Australian Government’s National Quality Framework for early childhood education and care.The framework has a strong emphasis on play-based learning, recognising the importance of communication and language (including early literacy and numeracy) and social and emotional development. There are five learning outcomes defined by the EYLF:

      • Children have a strong sense of identity.
      • Children are connected with and contribute to their world.
      • Children have a strong sense of wellbeing.
      • Children are confident and involved learners.
      • Children are effective communicators.
      The National Quality Framework (NQF) was the result of an agreement between all Australian governments to work together to provide better educational and developmental outcomes for children.  The NQF introduced a new quality standard in 2012 to improve education and care across long daycare, family daycare, preschool/kindergarten, and outside school hours care.The National Quality Standard (NQS) is a key aspect of the National Quality Framework (NQF) and sets a high, national benchmark for early childhood education and care.The NQS brings together the 7 key quality areas that are important to outcomes for children:

      1. Educational program and practice
      2. Children’s health and safety
      3. Physical environment
      4. Staffing arrangements
      5. Relationships with children
      6. Collaborative partnerships with families and communities
      7. Leadership and service management

      Learn more on the ACECQA website

      Educators and psychologists are in agreeance that the single most important period in a child’s development occurs from birth to age six. Evidence shows that participating in a high quality early education program delivers lasting health and educational outcomes preparing children for school and beyond.

      Facilities & provisions

      Operating hours vary between services.  Generally our services are open from 7:00am to 6.00pm, Monday to Friday, 50 weeks a year. We’re not open on weekends or public holidays. We recommend checking with your local centre about their operating times.

      SCECS provides breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea and a late snack (when required).

      We provide for a qualified onsite Chef catering for each child and providing fresh, nutritious and healthy meals. Meal time is a special time for children and staff to come together and enjoy a diverse range of cuisines.

      Yes, nappies are included for 0-2 year olds.  Children of other ages requiring nappies and who are not toilet training, should bring them along to the service.

      Enquiring about care

      Toilet training usually occurs between ages of 18 months – 3 years.  We work in partnership with families to encourage and implement toilet training when you feel your child is ready, based on their individual stage of development and need.

      At SCECS we are an inclusive environment who provides for children with additional needs and is available to every child.  For specific advice on how we could best accommodate your child/ren, you should speak with the Director at the SCECS service you are interested in.

      Yes you can join the waitlist.  We will require your baby’s surname and for their first name, write ‘baby’.  We also require an estimated date of birth. Once your child is born, please contact us to update your details.

      New enrolments

      Before enrolling online, we love our families to visit and experience our service firsthand. Come in a have a private tour where you get the opportunity to meet our amazing staff and discuss your personalised needs with the Centre Director. They’ll then be able to help with your enrolment and tailor your transition into the service, supporting your child’s settling in process.

      Every child will be different.  Some children settle quickly, while others can take longer. Children who attend three or more days per week, are more likely to settle sooner than children who attend less days. Our caring team will work with you and your child/ren to make the transition smooth.

      Families are welcome at anytime. Families are encouraged to come on their first day at the time they would normally be dropping off their child, so they become used to the routine.  

      We also encourage dropping children off no later than 10am as it assists your child’s connection to the service and familiarity with the routine of the day.

      We provide everything children might need during their day, however children should come with the followed labelled with their name:

      • A water bottle
      • spare clothes (for some of our messy experiences)
      • any comforters (sleep blanket etc) that your child may like to help them feel settled
      • Sun Safe hat, covering your child’s face, neck and ears
      • Bibs – if required
      • Dummy – if required
      • Sleep sheet and/or blanket
      • Bottles, formula and/or expressed milk
      • Any medications – please speak with staff further regarding how to provide these
      • Barrier cream
      • Wipes
      • Nappies

      Don’t leave it too late.  We want to ensure that every child has care and that you don’t miss out, so remember to put your child’s name down on the waitlist early and confirm your requirements as regularly as possible.

      If there are no vacancies at the service, you can join the waiting list. These waitlists are regularly reviewed and families are contacted once a place becomes available.

      Ages vary between services.  SCECS caters generally from 6 weeks to school age.  Please check with your local SCECS service to confirm the ages they accommodate.

      After you have submitted your online enrolment, we will:

      • Call you to arrange a time to visit the centre
      • Understand yours and your childs needs
      • Confirm your enrolment or add you to the services waitlist

      SCECS provide child-friendly sunscreen, however if your child has sensitive skin please feel free to provide your preferred brand.

      Existing enrolments

      Transitions into an older room are based on developmental readiness and availability.

      Fees, benefits & the Child Care Subsidy (CCS)

      SCECS closes for public holidays. If your scheduled booked day falls on public holidays, fees will still apply as staff and operating costs still need to be covered. The Australian Government’s Child Care Subsidy (CCS) covers up to 42 absence days a year, which includes public holidays. So unless you exceed this quota, you will be eligible for the CCS discount on public holidays.

      Yes, fees still apply for sick days. The Child Care Subsidy will cover up to 42 absence days a year with no documentation and unlimited sick days if you’re able to provide a medical certificate or similar.

      Normal fees apply for all absences (including Public Holidays) that fall on a usual day of attendance.

      The Child Care Subsidy (CCS) is a payment offered by the Australian Government for which you may be eligible. To find out if you are eligible for CSS visit the Department of Human Services website humanservices.gov.au

      Depending on your personal circumstances, there may also be other government funding available.

      There is a refundable holding deposit of two weeks fees in advance.  This will be refunded if care is no longer required.

      You will have 72 hours to complete and return the paperwork along with your child’s birth certificate, direct debit form, immunisation records, Medical Action Plan (if required) and other associated documents.  If we do not hear from you within this time, the hold on the position will be removed.

      You will need to accept the enrolment, complete and send the

      • Direct Debit Form
      • Immunisation Records (from Centrelink)
      • Child’s Birth Certificate
      • Medical Action Plan (if applicable)
      • Other associated documents

      As gathering these documents together can take time, please ensure that you have these available prior to submitting your request for enrolment online.

      The Child Care Subsidy (CCS) is the main way the Government assists families with their child care fees. The CCS helps parents/carers by funding childcare for children aged 0 – 13, if parents/carers, work, train, study and/or volunteer.  Find out more by visiting: https://www.humanservices.gov.au/individuals/services/centrelink/child-care-subsidy

      There is a different fee dependant on the service you attend and the room that they are enrolled in. There is a different fee for Nursery, Toddler and Preschool age groups. You can visit www.scecs.nsw.edu.au, search for your service for details or call us at anytime.

      Immunisation

      SCECS requires children to be fully up-to-date with their immunisations, or be on a catch up schedule, or have a medical exemption to be enrolled into care.  Documentation supporting the child’s immunisation position, must be provided at the time of enrolment. Children who are not vaccinated will not receive the Child Care Subsidy and are not eligible for enrolment.

      The following are acceptable to prove immunisation:

      No other documents will be accepted and the enrolment cannot be confirmed without one of these.

      Our staff

      The NSW Government requires ratios of one educator per four children for children under two years, one educator to five children for children under three years, and one educator per ten children for students under six years.

      SCECS works to this as a minimum and in most circumstances employs more staff to children than this minimum standard.

    Our Staff

    St Brigid's Preschool & Long Day Care, Director