Frequently asked questions

Penguin early learning centres offer the following:

• Nappies and wipes.
• Nutritious meals prepared by our in-house cook.
• Regular updates and photos on our all-in-one family app.
• Quality learning resources.
• Engaging specialised programs.
• Regular festivities for annual events, cultural celebrations, and special occasions.
• We welcome special guests and community members to the centre based on the children’s interests.
• Plus more! Speak to your centre of choice for a full list of everything included.

A centre tour is the perfect way to experience your centre of choice, seeing a world where children are inspired to explore, learn and grow. You can get a feel of the centre and decide if it’s the perfect fit for your family. The tour is also a great way to spend time with the team members, finding out exactly who your child will be interacting with, and how they’ll be inspired throughout the day.

We offer families choices when it comes to how they can book a tour. You can book a tour:

1. Online at any time. All available time slots are conveniently displayed for you to choose one that is most convenient for you and your family.
2. Book a tour using Web Chat. Here you can speak with our Family Support Team, who will book the tour at the time most convenient for you.
3. By calling our Family Support Team on 07 5644 6900.
4. Or you can simply walk in and visit the centre of your choice!

After you complete a tour at your chosen centre, your Centre Manager will answer any further questions you may have. They’ll also invite you back for a stay and play, giving your family the opportunity to get to know the centre and team even better.

Enrolment will depend on centre availability and when you require care.

If places are available, your Centre Manager will formally offer you a place and you will receive a link to our enrolment form via email. They will also walk your family through all the administration that need to be arranged, including subsidy information for the Child Care Subsidy (CCS), centre schedules, menus and more.

If there is no immediate availability, you can elect to join our waitlist.

Penguin Childcare accepts applications for future enrolments, and we offer enrolment placements as they become available. Our Family Support Team will add your child’s name to our waitlist if a centre is currently full in your child’s age group. We will then contact you as soon as places become available.

We also do monthly check-ins to review the availability, and you will receive a text message confirming if you’re still happy to remain on the waitlist each month. When spots do become vacant, we will give you a call to tell you the good news!

If you would like to get an update at any point, you’re welcome to reach out on our Web Chat or give us a call. Our Family Support Team can also help you find more centres near you, with the same offerings at the centre you are interested in that have immediate availability.

There are a few items you will need to have on hand to help you fill out the enrolment form, including:

• Your child’s Customer Reference Number (CRN). If you do not have a CRN or are unsure where to find this, visit the Centrelink website here.
• Your child’s Medicare Number/Reference Number.
• Your child’s immunisation status record downloaded from Medicare/MyGov, which will need to be provided to the centre before commencement.

Once you have completed and submitted the enrolment form to our Family Support Team, there are a few more steps to complete.

1. If it is your first time in child care, you will need to apply for the Child Care Subsidy (CCS). If you need any help with this, our Family Support Team can assist.
2. Our Family Support Team will also make you an Xplor Home account so that you can access our all in one family app.
3. Confirm your Complying Written Agreement (CWA) in Xplor. You will find your CWA under the Finance tab in the Xplor Home app under the ‘See CWA agreement’ section. By confirming the CWA, you are agreeing to the booked days, sessions hours and fees charged. If there are any errors, please reach out to the Family Support Team.
4. You need to confirm your enrolment at the centre through MyGov. (This may take 24 hours from when you approve it through Xplor). This needs to be done for you to start receiving your CCS from your first day.
5. Complete your Direct Debit arrangements through Xplor. This is found under the finance tab in Xplor Home app > change Direct Debit.
6. The original or certified copy of your child’s birth certificate or passport must be sighted by the Centre Manager.
7. Your child’s immunisation status must be downloaded from MyGov and uploaded as an attachment to your child’s profile in Xplor.

Our Family Support Team are here every step of the way to support you through the enrolment process if you have any questions. Call us so we can help you enrol today.

Some of our centres provide sheets, formula, nappies and wipes, so you may not need to remember to pack them!

Otherwise, for babies, be sure to include: nappy rash cream, dummies, bottles and teats, comfort toy or blanket, sun hat, three spare outfits and spare socks.

For toddlers and preschool or kindergarten aged children, start with: spare underwear, water bottle or sippy cup, sun hat, closed-toe shoes, two spare outfits, spare socks and a jumper.

Plus anything else your individual child may need, such as breast milk, a sleeping bag, dummies, medication. If you’re not sure what centres provide, check your centre’s website page or ask your Centre Manager.

Please also ensure all personal property and belongings are clearly named or labelled, or have been shown to an educator upon arrival if labelling is not possible.

Most of our early learning centres provide meals, including lunch, morning tea and afternoon tea. Some also offer breakfast and a late snack. Each centre is different, so please speak with your Centre Manager to confirm what meals they provide.

Alternative food will be offered to your child when possible.

When your child is enrolled to start at one of our early learning centres, your Centre Manager will confirm with you the security code used to enter the building prior to your first day.

When you drop off your child, please use the centre’s electronic system to sign your child in.

Yes, the nursery room educator and your centre manager will be able to assist you with this during your orientation or Stay and Play, and answer any questions you might have.

In the rare case that your child is injured, your early learning centre will:

• Administer first aid that is appropriate for the injury sustained by the child, as guided by the Educators Senior First Aid Training and Administering First Aid Centre Policy.
• Notify you as soon as possible.
• Ensure that further medical attention is recommended to the families in instances where the child’s injury is such that medical attention is required but does not require emergency medical treatment (e.g. Ambulance).
• Ensure that emergency services are contacted in instances where the child has been injured, and the injuries are of such a nature as to be beyond the First Aid Training of the Education and Care Staff.

Please call the centre on the direct phone line and notify them as soon as possible, including the estimated arrival time, so that appropriate arrangements can be made.

All early education centres abide by educator to child ratios as determined by the National Quality Framework (NQF). The below table outlines the minimum ratios followed by our centres.

You will receive regular communication through our Xplor platform. Daily group learning updates, along with the observations and notes on children’s learning that educators complete to support programming and planning, will keep you up to date with what your child is learning.

In addition to this, you will receive a summary of your child’s progress in the middle of the year and at the end of the year. For children transitioning to school, the end of the year summary is provided through the child’s Transition to School Statement. Sometimes, children might not progress as expected, and require additional supports to achieve learning, development, and wellbeing outcomes.

Our data about children and what they know and can do will help us decide, with you, on the most appropriate response to your child’s individual needs.

All Penguin Childcare centres continue to undertake safety measures to protect the health and safety of our children, families, team members, and the wider community to reduce the risk of infection of any kind.

If your child shows signs of infection or illness at any time during the day, you will be notified. You will need to make alternative arrangements, pick up your child from the centre and keep them home until they are no longer infectious. While we understand that this can be inconvenient, we’re committed to maintaining a healthy environment and reducing the risk of infection for all children, families, and team members within our centres.

• All essentials from nappies, wipes, hats, cot linen and sunscreen
• Nutritious meals prepared by our in-house cook
• Stimulating outdoor spaces (with a focus on play-based learning and sustainability)
• Qualified and passionate Educators and Teachers
• Daily learning updates and photos via our family communication app
• Government-approved Kindergarten and Preschool program
• School Readiness program
• Extracurricular activities
• Excursions, incursions, events, and community activities
• Regular feedback, observations, and support for your child’s learning

The government Child Care Subsidy (CCS) aims to make early learning more affordable for eligible families. How much subsidy your family is entitled to will depend on how much ‘work related’ activity you and your partner undertake each fortnight. Learn more about the Child Care Subsidy (CCS) by downloading our eBook, watching this explainer video, or if you know the centre you are interested in, read more on our CCS page, or our handy calculator.

Public holidays are charged at the normal daily fee. Families will be eligible for the Child Care Subsidy (CCS) for public holidays if they have not exceeded allowable yearly absences.

We offer 9-hour, 10-hour and 12-hour flexible hours sessions. Find out about how to optimise your hours on our Childcare Subsidy Explained page.

Under the Child Care Subsidy (CCS), families are allowed 42 absence days per child, per financial year. These can be taken for any reason, including public holidays and when children are sick, without the need for families to provide documentation.

Absences should only be claimed when care would have been provided if the child was not absent, and the family has been charged a fee for the session of care. CCS is only payable for absences submitted before a child has started at a service, or after a child’s final day of actual attendance at a service, under limited circumstances.

Read more about absences.

Sessional kindergarten and preschools run during school term and school hours, meaning the program runs for 40 weeks per year, with most sessions finishing up around 2 pm, over 2-3 days per week. Funding and fees for sessional Kindergarten or preschool programs may vary, and meals are not covered.

Most long day care centres are open Monday to Friday with flexible drop-off/pick-up times to better accommodate busy working families. Long day care centres run 52 weeks per year, meaning your child would not miss out on valuable learning opportunities during school holidays.

Nutritional meals and snacks are covered in long day care centres, so you don’t have to worry about packing lunches.

Child Care Subsidy still applies when your child attends the kindergarten or preschool programs offered in long day care services. Depending on your state or territory, different funding options can be combined with your Child Care Subsidy savings, making kindergarten or preschool more affordable for your family.

Essentially, there is no difference between the curriculums adopted by long day care and sessional kindergarten or preschool providers. They are both run by qualified Early Childhood Teachers, and they all align with Early Years Learning Framework, focusing on supporting individual children’s development, interests and needs through play-based and intentional learning experiences.

If your child is already settled at a long day care centre, they have the opportunity to stay in a familiar environment, transitioning together with their friends.

All of our kindergarten and preschool programs follow the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF), a national learning framework for Australia. These programs are delivered by qualified and passionate Early Childhood Educators and Teachers. Our curriculum accommodates each individual child’s learning, development, and well-being.

Kindergarten and preschool provide a unique time for children to further develop their positive dispositions to learning, oral language skills, and social/emotional and physical capabilities.

Different subsidies may also apply to the kindergarten or preschool programs, depending on the state you live in.

To learn more about the wonderful learning opportunities at the centre of your choice, reach out to the Centre Manager.

Each day children enrolled in our kindergarten or preschool rooms can participate in the kindergarten or preschool program across the day. All our centres across the G8 Education network are long day care centres, which means your child can enjoy our engaging learning environments during our extended opening hours every day of the week.

All our kindergarten and preschool programs run every day of the week. This means families have the flexibility for their child to receive the highest quality learning experiences on days that best support them.