Your child has been learning since they were born, from you and everyone in their family and community. Starting childcare and kindergarten is another exciting step as your child continues to learn and expand their world. It gives them more opportunities to learn, play, make friends and have some fun.

[Reproduced with permission from the Association for Children with a Disability (ACD) www.acd.org.au]

Childcare and kindergarten services are open to all children and assistance is available to support children with CP. Services must not discriminate against children with disability.

By working with educators and staff, you should feel confident that the childcare or kindergarten service you choose will meet your child’s needs and support their full participation. Many families use a combination of childcare and kindergarten services.

Childcare

Childcare is available to all children and the cost of care will depend on the type of service you choose.

The different types of childcare include:

• centre-based care – at a childcare centre, long day care or early learning centre
• family day care – where your child is looked after in the home of an approved carer
• in-home care – for families who cannot access a standard childcare service
• outside school hours care – for primary school-aged children who need care before and/or after school, or for children of any age in special or emergency situations.

The Child Care Subsidy helps families with the cost of childcare if you are working, looking for work, or if you receive a carer payment.

Kindergarten

All children can benefit from attending a kindergarten program before they start school. At kindergarten, early childhood educators support your child’s participation, wellbeing, learning and development.

Your child will experience and learn about:

• social skills, including how to play with other children and make friends
• group activities with other children their own age
• self-awareness and respect for others
• emotional skills and understanding their feelings
• language, literacy and numeracy skills, such as reading stories and counting objects
• new ideas and concepts
• a joy for learning.

Kindergarten programs are run in a range of settings, including childcare and council-run services, and some are connected to schools. You will need to start planning for kindergarten in the year before your child is due to start.

What to look for

When choosing childcare and kindergarten, general things to think about might be how far you want to travel, and available hours and session times.

Other things to look for include:

Approachable staff – A positive approach will go a long way towards making childcare and kindergarten a great experience for your child. You should feel confident that staff can keep your child safe, support their needs and extend their learning.

Look for staff who:

• focus on your child’s abilities
• engage directly with your child, not just through you
• work with your child at their own level and pace
• make time to meet with you and any specialists
• find creative ways to adapt the program to include your child.

Physical environment – look for a service that is safe, clean and well-equipped. You will also want to make sure the service can cater for the physical needs of your child. This might include making modifications such as installing grab rails or ramps.

Activities – ask what activities are on offer. Most services offer a similar range of activities, but some may provide extra opportunities in a particular area. For example, some may have an art program, an area for nature walks or different types of excursions.

Inclusive participation – ask how your child will participate in the learning and development opportunities in the program. For example, how do staff include a child in a wheelchair in outdoor play? How do they support children with complex needs? While they may not have all the answers straightaway, you should feel reassured that the service will explore ways to include your child in all activities.

Complex care needs – ask how the kindergarten meets any complex medical or personal care needs. You will want to know that your child will be cared for safely and with dignity, privacy and respect.

Quality rating – the quality of early childhood services is rated under a system called the National Quality Framework. You can check the quality ratings of early childhood services, including childcare and kindergartens, on the Starting Blocks website.

Enrolment process – for childcare, you apply directly to the childcare service. For council-run services and programs, most councils run a central registration process. You need to apply in the year before your child is due to start.

Support at childcare and kindergarten

Extra assistance is available for childcare and kindergarten services to support children with CP. This includes supporting children who are not toilet trained.

Each Australian state will vary in the assessment and application process for funding to support your child. Speak to your childcare or kindergarten staff about how to access this funding.