New enrolments

When a position is available the Centre Director will email you an enrolment pack to complete. You will have 48 hours to complete and return your enrolment pack with supporting documentation. If we do not hear from you within this time, we will follow up with a phone call however if we are not able to contact you, the hold on your position will be removed.

Included in your enrolment pack you will find all the information you need to start your journey with Petit ELJ. It includes our fee schedule and key information about our policies, childcare subsidies and method of payment. There are several important documents in this pack that you need to complete and return to confirm your enrolment.

Enrolment Form
All About Me
Debit Success Form
Copy of Birth Certificate
Copy of Immunisation History Statement from ACIR
Confirmation of child’s Centrelink CRN
Copy of parents driver’s license
Action plan for asthma, anaphylaxis and/or allergic reaction if applicable

We understand that gathering all of this information can be difficult so please do not hesitate to contact your Centre Director for assistance if required.

Enrolment requires a permanent weekly booking. We recommend a minimum booking of 2 days per week as we believe your child will benefit from building strong trusting relationships with their educators and peers and settle in more quickly the more frequently, they attend.

We strongly encourage you to orientate your child at our Petit ELJ centres. Please contact our Centre Directors to arrange a suitable time for you and your child to visit your centre and meet our educators. Our orientation sessions are at no charge however visits must be booked in advance, all enrolment documents must be returned and parents must stay on the premises.

Our Orientation Process

Before your child starts at the centre, we encourage transition visits for you and your child. As new situations are often overwhelming for young children a gradual introduction for your child into their Petit ELJ centre works best.

All orientations are tailored to suit your individual needs however a guide to our orientation process is as follows;

  • On your first half hour visit, we enable you and your child to become familiar with the surroundings, meet the staff and allow time for our Centre Director to answer any further questions you may have.
  • On your next half hour visit, we encourage you to settle your child into their studio and then leave the room for short intervals so your child’s progress can be monitored and to observe how your child engages with the new environment.
  • During the last visit, we suggest you extend your stay to 1 hour and join in with a meal time. During this time, you are welcome to use the reception area while your child enjoys their time in the studio.
  • All orientation visits need to be pre-booked.

You only need bring a spare change of clothing and a water bottle for your child as we supply all meals, nappies and sunhats. Our centres also provide linen for rest time. For families who have little ones in the nursery please bring bottles and formula or breast milk. We encourage families send in a comforter such as pacifiers, blanket or loved treasure if required, no matter the age of the child.

Yes, you most definitely can! Please call the Centre Director to arrange a suitable time for you and your child to visit your preferred centre and meet our educators or request a tour here.

All of Petit ELJ Centres are registered childcare providers which means that eligible families can claim the Government benefit relating to your childcare. For further information click here Child Care Subsidy.

Waitlist

Please complete the ‘enquire now’ form and the Centre Director at your preferred centre will be in touch shortly.

We encourage you to contact the Centre Director via 1300 1 73848 or by completing an enquiry form to enquire about the current availability at your preferred centre.

We welcome all families to visit us as this is a great chance to view the facilities we have on offer and to meet our amazing teams however we ask that you schedule these in advance. This is to ensure we do not disrupt the studios and individual routines. To book a tour please complete a form online or contact the Centre Director on 1300 1 73848.

No, there is no fee for joining the waitlist.

When you join our waitlist, you can simply list your unborn child’s name as ‘Baby’ with their ‘Surname’ and list your predicted date of delivery as their date of birth. Once your baby is born, please contact the Centre Director to update your details.

Our Centre Directors regularly contact all their waitlist families and update them on availability. You are welcome to contact us if you have any questions or need to update your preferences.

Existing enrolments

We require 2 weeks written notice for permanent bookings and 48 hours written notice for casual bookings.

Yes. Please express your interest to transfer to your current Centre Director who can query the availability within another Petit ELJ Centre and arrange a tour of that centre at a convenient time for you.

Transitions into another studio are the result of a collaborative decision to ensure it is the best time for the child and they are ready to venture onto more challenges and experiences. There will usually be a general move to the next studio as your child becomes older at the beginning of each school year, but this will be communicated to you prior to the transition.

Yes. Subject to availability of places in your child’s studio.
We provide access to ChildcareNow App a convenient platform to book casual bookings and notify the centre of any absence days.

Our Team

Ratios are calculated across the centres (not by individual studios). This gives centres the flexibility to respond to the needs of children. In a mixed age group of children, maintaining the ratio for each age range of children does not mean the educator to child ratio for the youngest age range must be applied to all children in an older age range an educator who is caring for one age range of children can also be counted against another age range of children, as long as the ratio for each age range is maintained and adequate supervision is maintained at all times.

Age of children Educator to child ratio Applies
Birth to 24 months 1:4 All states and territories
Over 24 months and less than 36 months 1:5 All states and territories excluding VIC
1:4 VIC
Over 36 months up to and including preschool age 1:11 NT, QLD, VIC
1:10 NSW

Fees

Each Petit ELJ centre has a different fee structure which can be found on your preferred centre’s page.

Freshly cooked nutritious meals
Nappies, Wipes, Sunscreen
Sunhat
Linen for rest/sleep time
Access to Storypark – an app that allows you to follow your child’s learning journey and revisit and relive treasured memories at any time!
Secure PIN to enter at the Centre and access to QKiosk – a digital sign in/sign out system
Incursions and excursions to enhance our programs and learning curriculum. Petit ELJ centres engage in various incursions throughout the year to compliment current learning experiences, to engage your child’s love of learning and promote their development more deeply. Some incursions are included in your daily fee. Excursions are also included in the Kindergarten program.

All fees are to be paid via Debit Success on a weekly basis. At enrolment we will supply you with a direct debit form and you can elect to pay your weekly fees by credit card or direct debit. You can change your billing details at any time by notifying your Centre Director. The initial amount will include an advance payment of one week’s full fee. We understand that this may be a new process for some families however we are certain that you will appreciate the convenience of automatic payments.

Yes, you will have to pay for public holidays if they fall on days that your child is enrolled at the centre because we have everyday costs, including educators’ wages, which still need to be paid whether the centre is open or not. Some early childhood services offer free public holidays but absorb their running costs into their fees making their daily rate higher. This may mean that you are paying for public holidays even if your child is not enrolled on a public holiday.

If you do not have enough CCS hours to cover all your care hours per fortnight, then your fees may be different each alternate week. See why is my bill different each week?

Some centres take a bond payment on enrolment to secure your child’s place. Please ask your Centre Director prior to enrolment.

Immunisation

Petit ELJ require our enrolled children to be fully up to date with their immunisations, be on a catch-up schedule or have a medical exemption. Documentation supporting the child’s immunisation position must be provided at the time of enrolment.

Children who are not vaccinated will not receive the Child Care Subsidy.

The following documents will be accepted by Petit ELJ to show that their child’s immunisation status.

No other documents will be accepted and the enrolment cannot be confirmed without one of these.

A copy of your child’s immunisation details can be obtained at any time by:

  • using their Medicare online account through MyGov
  • using the Medicare Express Plus App
  • calling the Australian Immunisations Register (AIR) General Enquiries Line on 1800 653 809.
  • Parents should automatically receive their child’s AIR Immunisation History Statement in the mail after they complete their immunisation schedule (sometime after 4 years of age).

Overseas immunisation schedules may differ from the Australian schedule and cannot be accepted.

  • If a child was immunised overseas, their immunisation record will need to be checked by a GP who will upload the information to the Australian Immunisation Register, and provide an AIR Immunisation History Form aligning their immunisations to the current Australian schedule and what immunisations the child needs to catch-up on.
  • Parents can then request an updated AIR Immunisation History Statement to reflect this and submit to Petit ELJ. A doctor’s letter is not acceptable, only an AIR Immunisation History Form or a catch up schedule will be accepted.

Please visit the National Immunisation Program website which outlines the vaccinations and when they are due.

Child Care Subsidy

Yes, we are a registered childcare provider which means that eligible families can claim the Government benefit relating to your childcare.

The Child Care Subsidy (CCS) is the main way the Government assists families with their childcare fees. The CCS helps parents with children aged 0 – 13 who work, train, study and/or volunteer.

There are certain requirements that must be satisfied for an individual to be eligible to receive the Child Care Subsidy (CCS) for their child. These include:

  • The age of the child (must be 13 or under and not attending secondary school)
  • The individual, or their partner, meeting the residency requirements
  • The combined family income meeting the specified requirements
  • The child meeting immunisation requirements
  • The activity level of your family.
  • Follow this link to guide you through making a claim for Child Care Subsidy: https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/how-to-claim-child-care-subsidy?context=41186
  • Important information is required to assist with making your claim:
    – MyGov and Centrelink online account or access to speak over the phone or in person at a Centrelink office
    – Claimant and child CRN (customer reference number)
    – Family income and activity details
    – Supporting personal documents
  • Once you have received your childcare subsidy assessment letter from Centrelink, you will need to:
    – Provide us with your and your child’s CRN details so we’re able to make a connection to Centrelink to ensure you can receive CCS payments. It is important that we receive both CRN’s as a connection can’t be made using only one.
    – Once a connection to Centrelink is made, you will receive notification to approve the enrolment notice. Instructions on how to do this can be found: https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/centrelink-online-account-help-confirm-your-childs-enrolment-details-for-child-care-subsidy 
  • Visit the enrolments tab in your Centrelink account to approve your child’s childcare details (i.e. the campus they are enrolled at, days they are enrolled and the daily rate) or contact Centrelink for assistance with confirming details.

There are three things which will determine your level of subsidy:

  • Your family income (combined or individual depending on your family status)
  • The activity level of your family. Your activity level is the ‘recognised activities’ that enables a family to claim a subsidy (e.g. work, study or training) up to a maximum of 100 hours per fortnight based on the parent with the least number of hours.
  • The type of childcare  your child will be attending. Petit ELJ is classified as Long Day Care.

For more details, and to obtain an estimate of what your Child Care Subsidy could be, visit the Child Care Subsidy website or phone Services Australia  – Centrelink Families Hotline on 136 150.

Families are entitled to 42 absence days per child per financial year. You may also be entitled to additional absence days in certain circumstances (e.g., illness of a child, a parent or sibling). In shared care arrangements the allocation of 42 absences per financial year relates to the child not each individual claimant.

There may be additional support payments such as the Temporary Hardship or the Transition to Work payments available to you. However, to obtain more information you will need to contact Centrelink directly.

Furthermore, families can now get at least 36 hours of CCS per fortnight for each Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander child in their care.

A new claim needs to be made for each of your children even though it is based on your combined family income and activity.

It is good idea to start your claim process as soon as you are considering starting your child in childcare. Claims can take over 4 weeks to process so the sooner you make the claim, the more likely the claim will be approved by the time your child starts in care. You may be able to maximise your CCS hours through the use of our 9 and 10 hour sessions. Please see your Centre Director.

If your claim is not approved by the time your child commences care with Petit ELJ you will be required to pay full fees until this occurs. Petit ELJ will then refund you any overpayment. The claim needs to be made through Centrelink. You can find more information on making a claim here.

If you don’t have enough CCS hours to cover all your care hours per fortnight, then your fees may be different each alternate week. Your activity levels relate to the number of hours of care that subsidy is applied to each week. For example, if both guardians are working fulltime (80hrs per fortnight), they will be entitled to 100hrs of subsidised care per week. If their child attends 5 days per week at a service that operates for 12 hours each day, they will use 60hrs in week 1 leaving them with only 40hrs for week 2. This means the fees payable by the family in week 1 will be lower than week 2.

We offer flexible 12, 10 and 9-hour sessions which may assist in maximising CCS entitlement hours. Our Centre Director can assist in determining the best session for you.

The start date of your agreement with Petit ELJ may be earlier than your childcare start date as this connection can be made prior to the commencement of care. Even though the agreement date may be earlier, no childcare subsidy will be paid until attendances have been sent to Centrelink in your child’s first week of care.

Your letter of assessment will note if you have an annual cap or not. The cap is not applied to all families and is dependent on the income associated to the claim. If your family earns $190,015 or less, you won’t have an annual cap on your subsidy. However, families earning more than $190,015 (2021–22 terms) and under $354,305 have an annual subsidy cap of $10,655 per child each financial year.

From 10 December 2021, Centrelink is removing the annual cap for all families who get CCS.

Centrelink will back date payments up to 28 days.
  • The details of my child’s enrolment are incorrect, e.g. the days enrolled do not match/ there is an extra casual day recorded or not recorded/ the day rate is incorrect.
  • Prior to disputing the details in myGov, please contact us on 1 300 1 73848 so we can discuss any issues with your child’s enrolment and if so, what steps need to be taken to correct them.
  • There are no enrolment details in myGov.
  • Please check that you have given Petit ELJ the correct CRN numbers for both the claimant and your child, and that you have completed your myGov assessment, so you are registered to receive the CCS. Whoever made the claim for child care subsidy is considered the claimant even though in some cases the claim is based on a combined family situation.
  • My CCS connection has ended.
  • This may be due to taking extended leave (more than eight weeks or 6 weeks if you are outside the country). All CCS payments will automatically be ceased by Centrelink if a child has not attended care for more than eight weeks. A new connection will need to be made upon return to the centre.

Kindergarten and Preschool Programs

Petit ELJ provide a kindergarten program for QLD children in the year before Prep (children who are 4 by 30 June in the year they start) and VIC children in the year before Prep (children who are 4 by 30 April in the year they start). Petit ELJ provide a preschool program for NSW and ACT children aged four to five in the year before entering school. Our educational program is play-based and is delivered by qualified early childhood teachers.

Since 2022 our Victorian Centres have provided a 3-year-old kindergarten program for children who are 3 years old. Speak to our Centre Directors for more information.

Yes, our Centres based in QLD and VIC run a kindergarten program that is recognised and approved by their respected Governments. These Centres also receive additional funding to enhance the kindergarten program. Centres based in NSW run a preschool program that is recognised and approved by the Australian Government. These Centres also receive additional funding via the Start Strong Long Day Care program to enhance the preschool program and help increase access to early childhood education in the year before entering school.

The difference is that our program runs within long day care hours, so we operate from 6.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday, are open 52 weeks a year and open all school holidays which allows us to cater to all family/work situations.