What Child Care Qualifications Do I Need to Run a Family Day Care Service?

31-May-21

As the Child Care sector continues to grow, so do the various career opportunities for Educators. Family Day Care is one career avenue that many Early Childcare Educators are choosing to explore. At Suzan Johnston, we often have people contacting us to ask what’s required to open a Family Day Care service. This blog post has been designed to explain just that.

What is Family Day Care?

Family Day Care is an alternative to centre-based care for children. The same high-quality care that is offered in a centre is offered in the home of the provider.

One of the key benefits for families is that Family Day Care is the only approved service that potentially offers 24-hour care. Considering that a large portion of our society works outside the hours of 9-5 Monday to Friday, access to quality Child Care can be challenging. Family Day Care offers flexibility that is highly desirable and in demand.

For families who love the idea of their children being cared for in the home, Family Day Care is a great option. Smaller groups of children can often result in very strong bonds between children, families and Educators.

Family Day Care now accounts for 10% of the Child Care sector, which means that more than 10,000 Educators are working in Family Day Care settings, with over 130,000 children being cared for.

Family Day Care services are supported by local Councils and Schemes.

Qualifications Needed for Family Day Care Educators

The same standards apply for Family Day Care as for Child Care Centres:

• All Family Day Care Educators must have, or be actively working towards, an approved CHC30121 Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care
• The approved supervisor or the person in day-to-day charge of a Family Day Care service must hold at least an approved Diploma level qualification in Early Childhood Education and Care.

The Application Process

In order to operate a Family Day Care service, an application must be granted.

Family Day Care service approval is subject to conditions that include the following:

• The service is operated in a way that ensures the safety, health and wellbeing of the children being educated and cared for by the service
• The service meets the educational and developmental needs of children being educated and cared for by the service
• Sufficient persons are appointed as Family Day Care co-ordinators to monitor and support the family day care Educators engaged by or registered with the service
• Each Family Day Care Educator is adequately monitored and supported by a Family Day Care co-ordinator.

In addition to this, Providers must understand the roles, obligations and responsibilities as stipulated under the relevant Education and Care Services acts. Please note this guide does not constitute legal advice and should only be read as an initial guide to understanding more about Family Day Care services. For more, please refer to The Department of Education and Training website.

Interested in Finding Out More?

You may be eligible for Government Funding to study either our Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care or our CHC50121 Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care. There are currently two types of Government Funding available: JobTrainer and Skills First. Our Child Care Courses are available via virtual/online or classroom-based delivery modes.

Chat with one of our friendly consultants today to find out more about studying Early Childhood Education and Care at Suzan Johnston Australia.