What the new 3-day childcare guarantee means for your family
The Federal Government's new 3-day childcare guarantee removes the activity test for many families. Here's a plain-English summary of what changes and what doesn't.
From this year, the Federal Government has guaranteed three days of subsidised early learning per week to every eligible child, removing the previous "activity test" that tied subsidy hours to parents' work, study or volunteering hours.
In practice, this means more families can access three days of care without needing to demonstrate activity hours. The Child Care Subsidy still applies on top, your out-of-pocket fee depends on family income, as before.
What hasn't changed: places are still finite, and centres still allocate them based on enrolment date and priority categories. If you're considering early learning for your child this year, getting on a centre's enrolment list early is the practical thing to do.
If you have specific questions about how the changes apply to your situation, the team at any of our centres is happy to walk you through it on a tour. (We're not a substitute for Services Australia, but we know the system well.)
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