Family Day Care Start Up Payment
Please note: If you have provided Family Day Care for more than three months, with any scheme, you are NOT eligible for this grant.
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Family Day Care Start Up Payment
Family Day Care Start Up Payment of $1500 (or $5000 for remote areas) is a one off payment aimed to encourage people to consider Family Day Care as a career option. It provides assistance in meeting some of the initial set-up costs involved in establishing a family day care business, reducing the initial cost disincentive to potential Family Day Care carers.
The payment is to establish a Family Day Care business in the carers home and cannot be used to establish a Family Day Care Scheme. Only one Family Day Care Start Up Payment can be made for any one residence.
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Family Day Care Start Up Payment $1500
The Family Day Care Start Up Payment of $1500 may be used to meet expenses associated with satisfying legislative, regulatory or licensing requirements associated with the provision of Family Day Care. This could include first aid certificates, insurance, minor building upgrades and buying equipment.
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Remote Area Family Day Care Start Up Payment $5000
The Remote Area Family Day Care Start Up Payment of $5000 is available to potential carers who are living on a property in a remote or very remote location.
Payments are available nationally to assist carers to undertake required changes to their home or its immediate surrounds so they can provide quality child care. It recognises that carers living on a property in a remote or very remote area may experience higher costs in making these improvements.
The $5000 payment may be used to meet the costs of modifying infrastructure to comply with safety, legislative and regulatory requirements associated with the provision of Family Day Care. This could include installing a fence around the home to protect children from the inherent dangers on a rural property.
The remoteness of the area will be determined by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations using the Australian Standard Geographic Classification index.
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Eligibility Requirements
Family Day Care Start Up Payment ($1500)
You must:
- Not have provided care for more than three months with any Family Day Care scheme, prior to submitting your application
- Have registered and have begun the approval/licensing processes and have your application supported by your Family Day Care scheme
- Have provided proof of age to your Family Day Care scheme
- Have completed a current criminal record check (police check) and be deemed a fit and proper person to provide care to children
- Have had a home/safety assessment no older than three months performed by the Family Day Care scheme; this assessment must be signed, dated and have the address of the premises that the home assessment is referring to
- Have an active Australian Business Number (ABN)
- Not have received start up assistance through any other Government Department
- Intend to provide Family Day Care for a period of at least six months from the date you sign your Funding Agreement.
If successful, you must keep receipts of all expenditure in relation to establishing your Family Day Care business and must be able to produce these receipts to the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations upon request. You may also use the payment to reimburse past expenditure as long as you can provide evidence in the form of receipts that the past expenditure was directly related to establishing a Family Day Care Business.
Remote Area Family Day Care Start Up Payment ($5000)
In addition to meeting the eligibility criteria above, applicants for the Remote Area Family Day Care Start Up Payment must also:
- Be living on a property in a remote or very remote area. The remoteness of the area will be determined by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations using the Australian Standard Geographic Classification index
- Not have received the Family Day Care Start Up Payment of $1500.
Please call 02 6240 0650 to check your eligibility for the remote payment.
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How to receive a Family Day Care Start Up Payment
You must apply to the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations to receive a Family Day Care Start Up Payment. To see if you are eligible, please download the documents in the Family Day Care Start Up Payments Application Package, or obtain them from your supporting Family Day Care scheme.
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Application Process
Please note: Any incomplete Application Forms will be RETURNED to the applicant.
You must discuss your application with your Family Day Care Scheme. Your supporting Family Day Care Scheme must then complete pages 4 - 6 of the Application Form to support your application for the payment.
In the Application form your supporting Family Day Care Scheme will be asked to:
- Check that your initial registration/approvals/licensing requirements have been met
- Provide the Home Assessment. This assessment will check the premises from which you will operate your Family Day Care business. This assessment must be signed by a representative of the Family Day Care Scheme; dated and have the address of the premises that the Home Assessment is referring to. This must not be older than three months
- Provide proof of age (over 18 years)
- Have completed a current criminal record check and successfully fulfilled the requirements of a fit and proper person to operate child care.
You should then submit the completed application package, including the signed Home Assessment, and any supporting documentation to the address provided at the end of the Application Form.
Applications are assessed by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations as they are received. You should receive a response approximately one month after the Department receives the application. If successful, you will be offered a Funding Agreement to sign and return to the Department.
When the signed Funding Agreement is received by the Department, a payment will be made directly into your nominated account within 20 working days.
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Family Day Care Start Up Payments Application Package
- Application for the Family Day Care Start Up Payment - ($1,500)
( 
PDF 47KB | 
RTF 981KB)
- Application for the Remote Area Family Day Care Start Up Payment ($5,000)
( PDF 49KB | RTF 992 MB)
- Family Day Care Start Up Payments Questions and Answers ($1,500)
( PDF 28KB | RTF 51KB)
- Family Day Care Start Up Payments Questions and Answers ($5,000)
( PDF 30KB | RTF 40KB)
Please send your completed application, along with your supporting documents to:
Family Day Care Start Up Team
Child Care Programs Branch
Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations
GPO Box 9880
Level 3, 17M03
Canberra City, ACT 2601
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Family Day Care Start Up Payments Program Guidelines
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More Information is available at:
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Contact information
Telephone: 02 6240 0650
Fax: (02) 6123 7336 or (02) 6123 7137
Email: fdc@deewr.gov.au
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