Fees

What fees can ECE services charge?

ECE services are not able to charge fees for the hours of 20 Hours ECE, but they are able to charge fees for the hours outside the 20 Hours ECE for three, four and five year olds, and for other children, as is standard practice.

Why can’t ECE services charge fees for 20 Hours ECE?

A condition of claiming 20 Hours ECE funding is that the hours provided as 20 Hours ECE are free of compulsory fees. This means that parents must not pay a compulsory fee for the hours claimed as 20 Hours ECE.

What if parents directly pay the wages of their home-based educator?

Parents must not pay a compulsory fee for the hours claimed as 20 Hours ECE, either to the service provider or to the educator.  If this occurs, the service provider must fully reimburse parents for the compulsory fees they have paid for the hours covered by 20 Hours ECE.

Can an ECE service charge fees for hours on public holidays that would normally be 20 Hours ECE?

No. ECE services cannot charge any fees for access to 20 Hours ECE – even on public holidays.

If a child was enrolled for a public holiday and those hours were attested as 20 Hours ECE - no fees can be charged. The funding rates for 20 Hours ECE already take into account costs incurred by services on public holidays.

Can ECE services charge a one off administration fee to cover the cost of administering 20 Hours ECE?

No. Parents must not be charged fees for 20 Hours ECE. ECE services must not charge an administration fee to set up 20 Hours ECE.

Can ECE services charge a one off enrolment fee?

A one off enrolment fee can be charged provided the enrolment fee is not just for children receiving 20 Hours ECE funding or an additional fee for an enrolled child moving to receiving 20 Hours ECE. A one off enrolment fee can be charged because ECE services are able to set their own enrolment policies, and this can include a one off fee to cover the purchase of items such a book on your ECE service’s philosophy or the purchase of portfolio folders.

ECE services offering 20 Hours ECE must ensure any one off enrolment fee does not prevent children from accessing 20 Hours ECE.

Can services continue to charge to put people’s names on our waiting lists?

ECE services can continue to charge a fee for putting children on their waiting list.