Childcare centres or long daycare. 

Childcare centres (Bedfordale Childcare Centre falls into this category), also known as long daycare, are facilities that cater to children under school age. This is the most common form of childcare. 

These may be purpose-built facilities or a building that has been adapted to become childcare appropriate (for example, an old house). They can be run by private operators, local councils, community organisations, and non-profit organisations. Staff must be qualified and the day consists of play and developmental learning. Times vary between centres but might be open as long as 6:00am – 7:00pm. Meals are usually (but not always) provided. 

Family daycare. 

A family daycare is essentially a very small childcare centre run out of someone’s home. Care is flexible and can be tailored to suit each family's needs, including care outside normal working and business hours and even overnight care for shift-working parents. The number of children depends on the size of the property and number of carers present but usually sits between 4 – 10 children. 

Like childcare centres, family daycare has strict regulations. For example, not anyone can just start a daycare from their home — they must be qualified, have appropriate facilities, resources, and spaces, and be compliant with government requirements. 

Kindergarten. 

This is one area where overlaps happen. Although kindy’s are most commonly associated with schools, more and more childcare centres are also becoming registered kindergarten providers. When this happens, children can stay in a childcare centre at five-years-old, with a Teacher instead of an Educator, and undertake schooling aligned with the Australian Curriculum. 

While a traditional school day runs from 9:00am – 3:00pm, the benefit of being at a childcare centre is that kindy-aged children can still enjoy a full 6:00am – 7:00pm day (or however long the centre is open for), which is beneficial for many working families. They can also attend five days a week if needed, whereas most school-based kindergartens only run 2.5 days a week. 

Before & after school care, outside school hours care, and vacation care. 

Before and after school care is an additional service some childcare centres provide (we provide this at BCCC!). This is care and activities for school-aged children up to 12 years old, before or after school. This service is often utilised by working parents who can’t make the usual 9:00am school drop-off or 3:00pm pick-up — the centre will do school drop-offs and pick-ups on behalf of families. Centres often have an arrangement with local schools to coordinate who is getting dropped off and picked up on which days so a child’s whereabouts is always known. 

Outside school hours care and vacation care goes a step further and provides holiday care or pupil-free-day care. Holiday care often involves fun activities and theme days. There might be a Disney Day, Pajama Day, a trip to the zoo, a visit to the movies, and so on. 

Occasional or casual care services. 

Designed for under-school-age children, occasional and casual care services provide childcare for short periods or at short notice. Families can access this type of care regularly or on a casual basis. The main benefit of this type of care, as opposed to a predictable childcare arrangement, is that it can be utilised unexpectedly. For example, for shift or part-time work, respite care, crisis and emergency care, or even just shopping or attending appointments. 

A potential downside is that the irregularity may mean your child takes a long time to form relationships with Educators or takes a long time to feel comfortable there. 

Nannies & nanny-sharing. 

Employed by the family, a Nanny undertakes all tasks related to the care of children. They usually work regular hours and have a contract. They can be even be live-in or attend family holidays with you to care for children on the vacation. 

Some nannies may undertake household duties such as washing or tidying — this depends on the individual or the agency they’ve been hired through. However, not all nannies come through an agency, and they may or may not have formal training. If they have no qualifications, it’s important to establish that they have a good deal of experience to substitute that. 

Nanny-sharing is another popular arrangement whereby two families share the cost of one nanny. You’d generally have this arrangement with a friend or relative and drop your child at their house (or they at yours), where the Nanny cares for the children of both families. 

Note that a Nanny is not the same as a Babysitter. A Babysitter will almost always have little to no experience and care is generally limited to a few hours at a time. A babysitter is often a trusted family friend who might even be a child themselves (e.g. 15 – 17 years old). Additionally, a babysitter may not be comfortable with tasks such as disciplining, bottle-feeding, or toileting. 

Au pair.

An au pair is a helper from a foreign country working for, and living as part of, a host family. An au pair is similar to a Nanny, but generally, they’re integrated into family life as a temporary family member. The au pair is a live-in child carer that has their own room in the family home and eats meals with the family. 

Au pairs may also take on some housework. For example, do some of the washing or help clean the kitchen. They may or may not have childcare experience or relevant qualifications, and may be referred through a foreign agency. 

Want to know more about the kind of care we offer? 

We’d love to show you around Bedfordale Childcare Centre with a personalised tour! It’s the best way to see what a fun-filled, nature-based day looks like at BCCC. We can’t wait to meet you and your family, so contact us to arrange a tour, ask as many questions as you like, and learn more about enrolling.