Pre School Fees on 457 visa

[Cidalia]

Hi all

Ok so my son is starting pre school and we on a 457 Visa so that means that we get no rebate on the ridicules amount that they charge on a daily rate $90 per day on pre schools. I was just wondering if there is any way or and chance that we on a 457 visa we can get some sort of rebate what so ever.

Please help

Cidalia

[chzaau]

Not that I am aware of, you might want to go speak to Centrelink and see if they have any other advise for you.

[AndreaL]

No, you are not eligible to register for any rebates with Centrelink unless you are p.r. or citizen. You mean day care don't you, pre-school is usually the year before kids start prep and I don't know about other states , but In Queensland you can enrol your 4 year old in C&K Community Kindergarten for about $17 per day for 3 days a week, from 9 until 2ish.

It really isn't worth working if you have a child under four whilst on a 457 as most of earnings go toward daycare. Another option you might consider (especially if it is just socialisation for your child if you are not working) is family day care and perhaps joining local neighbourhood centres that offe play days.

[naomiwarr]

We're in NSW in Sydney. On a 457 there are no rebates. We came over on a 457 then went onto a bridging visa while our employer nominated pr was being processed. On the bridging visa you get medicare but no centrelink rebates. You only get childcare rebates etc once you actually have pr or citizenship. Long daycare (7am - 6pm) is about $100 per day. If you can get your child into a preschool (3-5yr olds) the daily fees are about half those of long daycare but they only operate 9am-3pm and most will only offer 2 or 3 days per week per child. We also looked into family daycare but in our area they charge a daily rate and it was about $70 per day. If you just need a few hours childcare a week you might want to look into occasional care. The one closest to us operates between 8am - 4pm, and you can book a regular spot or prebook a once-off spot, and pay by the hour (about $10ph).

The real killer is when your child is sick and can't attend but you must still pay for the day....that hurts when you are paying $100pd.

[Cidalia]

Thanks everybody for your replies. We are also in Sydney and my child is 18months so that's why we have to pay so much per day. It's really bad as half or even more of your salary goes to just paying the long day care fee with NO rebate. It's really hard already as everything is so expensive as it is here in Sydney. But we will get through it and hopefully in 2 years we will be getting our PR.