Nursary school 3year toddler

[Ella007]

Hi 

 

I'm curious to know what the price is for nursery schools? We have a toddler of 2and half years and we have a 5month old. 

We currently have them in a private nursery which costs us R2600pm each. 

We Coming to aus in May (just me and my husband) to have a look and see houses, line up job interviews and look at schools. 

 

Who can give me tips on what to do while we there for the 2weeks. 

 

P.s it's my husband who is the one that wants to make the move... I'm the one needing the convincing... Hence why he is taking me there for 2weeks to see everything. 

 

[rozellem]

First, some questions.  Do you work now and are you planning to work in Aus?  Are you a big earner and intend to do 5 days a week, or can you go without working for a bit to get the kids through the expensive pre school years?  Or would you perhaps only work a couple of days a week?  Where in Australia do you think of settling, as living costs and childcare costs can differ quite a bit between different cities and different towns.  

[Ella007]

Hi rozellem 

 

not currently working. Resigned my job few months before I had my little boy. I am trying to find a job now though just until we manage to move over.But no luck yet. I'm not the main earner, my husband is. I do however want to work 5 days a week. Not scared of working and can't wait to get back into the game. My husband will try to get a company to sponsor him and if so we would live in Melbourne if not Adelaide will be where we live for the 1st few years. 

[RYLC]

What does your husband do as that may have some bearing on which city to pick too?

 

if you are googling about nursery schools then you need to know that it's called Childcare here (for the ages your kids are). 

[Shellfish]

Hi Ella,

 

The idea of 'nursery school' is different in Australia.

The two main forms are

1. Childcare - this is generally full day care 7am-6pm for full time working parents and is expensive. Around $100 per day (I am sure this varies considerably according to the childcare). If you are a permanent resident/citizen and a working parent, the govt will reimburse you 50% of the cost.

2. Kindergarten - These are government run programmes for 3 and 4 year olds. It's much more affordable than child care as it's govt run however it is not a full day programme i.e. it's usually around 3-5 hours about 3 times a week so not very good if you are working. 

 

3. Community centre/recreation centre relief care - these are generally run and is occasional care i.e. if you need a couple of hours to do some jobs then you can book your child in for three hours and it costs say $30 (something Like that)

 

I've used all three so can advise if you'd like...

 

 

Edited January 28, 2016 by Shellfish

[rozellem]

1 hour ago, Ella007 said:

Hi rozellem 

 

not currently working. Resigned my job few months before I had my little boy. I am trying to find a job now though just until we manage to move over.But no luck yet. I'm not the main earner, my husband is. I do however want to work 5 days a week. Not scared of working and can't wait to get back into the game. My husband will try to get a company to sponsor him and if so we would live in Melbourne if not Adelaide will be where we live for the 1st few years. 

The thing is, most mum's (not spelled "mom" in Aus) of pre school kids here dont work a full week.  I might be generalizing, and others might have their own stories, but its pretty much true. Considering that primary and high school here is virtually free, the pre school years will cost you a bomb in comparison. That is part of the reason mums try to either stay at home, or work in a flexible way so they only work part time.  The government rebate you get back for the cost of childcare is capped at $7500 per child.  So, if you have a child (or two) in full time childcare, you will get to a point where you have run out of this help.  Thus, mums often work out how many days they want to work in order to get the assistance.  You have to work for 15hours a week to qualify. My observation: women work hard before they have kids, then step back a bit while the kids are little and then move back in once the kids are in school, not necessarily full time. Depends what you do for a living, what your partner does, what kind of lifestyle you want to have, if you have family nearby that can assist when you need help, etc.  I move in the pre schoo/primary school circles and I struggle to think of a mum around here that works 5 days a week.  Please bear in mind that each state often calls the childcare options by different names.  In Sydney, kids go to "pre-school" from the age of 3, (big school starts at 5). The 3 year olds go for 2 days a week and the 4 year olds go for 3 days a week.  My sons pre-school runs from 8:30 to 4pm and cost $60 per day.  Many mums round here work 2/3 days a week and others only school hours.  My neighbour does 3 days and her husband 4 days a week.  Things work a bit different here and for the most part companies are very flexible with the work/life balance when it comes to family. Hope this help and not confuse you.  

[RYLC]

Rozellem my experience is the same as yours. Mums of young kids don't work or only work part time. The only mums I know who work full time are because they are the breadwinner in the family and the husband is a stay at home dad.   Things are very different here and gender roles are not as rigid and stiff as in RSA where a Dad would almost NEVER stay home with kids. Here it is more about being a person rather than being defined by gender as much as RSA is. 

[Sweepea]

2 hours ago, rozellem said:

The government rebate you get back for the cost of childcare is capped at $7500 per child.  So, if you have a child (or two) in full time childcare, you will get to a point where you have run out of this help.  Thus, mums often work out how many days they want to work in order to get the assistance.  You have to work for 15hours a week to qualify.

 

 My sons pre-school runs from 8:30 to 4pm and cost $60 per day.

Arent you limited in terms of what your earnings are in order to qualify for the govt rebate?

 

Rozellem - that's a lot of money!$$$$

 

im very interested in this post as my twins are now 19m old and hopefully once we get PCCs, it wont take long to get our 190 visa grant to NSW.

 

whats the best place to find out about Childcare centres in NSW other than just google? Not sure where we will end up in NSW yet-depends on where he finds work.

 

S

[Ella007]

Oh wow ok. Thanks so much ladies. I'm a very bubbly person and the thought of moving to a new country and staying home with the kids 24/7 is a bit scary. Don't get me wrong I LOVE and ADORE my kids but I would also like to get to meet people and make my own money for my own purposes. so I guess I will have to do the 3days a week job. 

 

The whole reason for this move is for our kids and their future. we have a pretty good life here in the sense of materialistic things.... Nice cars...big house...going out for dinners twice a week and sometimes on weekends too.... All that will downscale in aus... Which I'm happy to do for my kids, but it's just the work thing I will struggle with. I need the stimulation of working my brain. That sounds terrible hahaha. But you know what I mean. 

 

Right so no full time job for me.... 3day week... Hmmm I can do this....

 

again in thanks so much ladies! 

 

Hope i don't sound like a real chop in these messages. Ive been told my way of saying things comes across wrong. That must be cause I'm originally Afrikaans and not English. 

[Sweepea]

Hi Ella don't worry-im in the same boat and have the same reservations. I am a CA with a great position in a great company and love what I do. My twins are 19m old and I love them to the moon and back! our decision to move was firmed up once we had them. I also would want to work and have mental stimulation and enjoy adult conversation.

 

worse for me is my age - going on 44 in April and afraid not to even enter the Oz job market until im closer to 50! not good at all so will have to look into part time day care too just to get a foot in the door.

 

all the best

[RYLC]

Mums get adult conversation in other ways. Playgroups, volunteering, parents committee at school, fund raising committee. Life is more outwardly focused here without the same need to chase money and status as in RSA. For instance in my 15 years here I have only seen a handful of Mercedes Benz. There is more to life than working and mental stimulation takes far more forms here due to the freedom and security. Don't necessarily try  to create a carbon copy of your life in RSA over here in Oz. be open to what is on offer and create a new way of life with fewer expectations of how it SHOULD be. 

[rozellem]

https://www.careforkids.com.au

 

This is a handy childcare finder. Sweepea, if you work/study/volunteer for 15 hours or more a week you can get the rebate. I'm just saying with kids in care 5 days a week, your problem will be running out of it. 

 

Ella, nobody said you have to be with your kids 24/7. The murder rate in Aus would be sky high in that case! There are tons of things to do with your kids, many of them free or virtually free. You will see that many initiatives here are preventative, as in they want you to get out of the house and be happy, not stay indoors and get depressed.  If that happened it would cost the state more to pick up the pieces than putting a free initiative in the libraries. 

[Guest]

As RYLC mentioned there is absolutely loads to do if you are a stay at home mum. Life here is very family orientated, there are fantastic groups you can join with your kids at the local library or community centres. I go to mine around 3 times a week. There is so much to do you will not want for mental stimulation.They even have walking groups Tha meet twice a week for mums and playgroups. Once you are in Australia you will see that this Is living. People here don't care about what car you drive or where you live. At the end of the day your life does not result from.the things you possess. ? Enjoy your trip to Australia I am sure you will love it here.

[Ella007]

Thanks so much ?

[Sibella]

I 'stay at home' with my pre-schooler, I have two older kids at school. On Mondays we are home and I try to catch up on housework and studying (why not study something - I'm doing graphic design which has always been a dream and I'm loving it).

Tuesdays and Thursdays she goes to childcare full day which costs $40 per day after the child care rebate. On these days I go to yoga, meet up with my friends and work on my small business.

Wednesdays I take her to dancing and then Happy Hands which is like an art class for kids.

Friday mornings is swimming lessons and we catch up with friends together or we go to story time at the library.

 

No lack of mental stimulation at all and although my four year old drives me nuts some times I know I'll miss  this time when she goes to school next year.

[Sweepea]

@SibellaWhere are you based?

[Sibella]

I live in the Outer Eastern suburbs of Melbourne which is why childcare is a bit cheaper - her Early Learning Center is part of a small private Christian School. We love it so much - staff is so caring, they have year 5 buddies who come and play with them once a week, they go to the library and use the facilities of the primary school, they learn jolly phonics, have music and learn Mandarin.

 

This is another option instead of childcare - many private schools have Early Learning Center who run and excellent kinder programme but with longer and regular hours than a kinder. For example mine works like a childcare center, i.e. is open every day from 7 to 5:30 but they also run the kinder program every day. My daughter goes twice a week. The only thing is most of them only start at when your child is around 2 - 3 years old.

[Karools]

I am so thankful for this thread and all your replies, even though this thread is quite old.

 

We are planning to come over on PR visas December or maybe sometime 2018, and this has been bugging me and my wife for a while now. We were thinking of her staying at home with the kids (6 months and 2,5 years) for the first couple of years and we were really worried about the mental stimulation and social interaction for her. 

 

I kept wondering how aussie parents do it, but the system totally allows it. Great stuff from the aussie people and government for putting systems in place that allows you to take care of yourself and your kids. Happy families lead to a happy country!

 

I want in!

[MaraJade]

I am so glad I found this thread!  My husband and I and our (almost) 2 year old are busy with the visa process and my biggest concern was about how things work in oz for mothers with small children. Its so encouraging to hear that jobs try to accommodate family life and that working part time for mothers (sounds like) the norm. I am a software engineer and am privileged to work in (relatively) flexible job but its not the norm for businesses in SA to allow for moms to work part time. I am definitely someone who needs to 'exercise my brain''  as some of the ladies here have said so I would I would be happy to do other work out of my field once in oz, however I'm interested to hear if you know of other ladies in the software field that work part time or is the part time work mainly in other fields?