FAQs

Bookings, Cancellations & Absences

Firstly, you’ll need to register via one of two ways.

  • Complete our online form via the Camp Australia website or,
  • Download the Camp Australia app (available on iPhone and Android) and follow step-by-step registration process

If your child is already registered (or once registered), you can make a booking by logging into the Camp Australia app, or via the online Parent Portal.

  1. Click on ‘New Booking’ and navigate to the booking calendar

  2. Select the type of care required:

  • Your OSHC
  • Before School Care
  • After School Care
  • Pupil Free Day
  • Rocketeers Extraordinary School Holiday Program

For more information check out our 'how to book guide'. If you don’t have access to our app or website, we also offer bookings through our Customer Care Team on 1300 105 343 or via [email protected]

Bookings for Your OSHC (Before and After School Care) fall under two categories.

  • Recurring – these bookings are for families with a regular schedule. By booking recurring visits in advance, you can secure a spot with a slightly lower fee. We classify a recurring booking as a minimum of two bookings recurring over more than one week. For example, if you book this Wednesday for care, and in the same booking you also book for the following Wednesday, this is a recurring booking.

  • Casual – these bookings offer more flexibility and suit families like shift workers that don’t work set days. Casual bookings don’t require as much notice, and there is no minimum number of days you need to book.

For our Rocketeers Extraordinary School Holiday Program, you simply book the day that you would like your child to attend, as all Rocketeers experiences are offered as full-day bookings.

We understand that not every family’s situation is the same, so we offer you the flexibility to select the booking option that best suits your needs.

To view the booking options and fees available at your school, click here and search for your school.

Yes, absolutely!

Maybe you’ve been called up for an extra shift, or you’ve got an important appointment. We understand that parents might require an extra day of care on top of your usual bookings.

Using the same process on your Parent portal, you can log in and click ‘Casual Booking’ to add an additional days for your children.

NOTE: casual booking fees are slightly higher than recurring fees.

If you can’t make a booking, it’s likely that the session you picked is incredibly popular and we’ve reached staff/child ratio capacity, or licensed capacity for that day.

While we’d love to have every child attend, all of Camp Australia services are governed by Education and Care Services National Regulations, which means we can only provide services within educator-to-child ratios and licensed spaces.

We encourage you to book with as much notice as possible, and sincerely apologise for the inconvenience this may cause.

While we’d love to have as many children attend, all of Camp Australia services are governed by Education and Care Services National Regulations, which means we can only provide services within educator-to-child ratios and licensed spaces.

Booking in advance will give you the best chance of guaranteeing a spot. This will also have us better equipped to find amazing educators to provide the service you require.

No.

We understand that little ones can feel unwell and taking sick days from childcare can be a large financial burden on families. We like to do our part to assist and alleviate some of that stress on you.

If you can provide a medical certificate (or a sick note from the school nurse) for the day of their absence, we waive all associated fees for that booking.

Medical certificates can be emailed to [email protected].

It’s great when our families and staff build strong and lasting relationships, but our Coordinators are incredibly busy people, and they don’t have the ability to take bookings or cancellations.

We ask that all cancellations are made through the Parent Portal website or app, or via the Customer Care Team on 1300 105 343.

You can cancel at any time via the Parent Portal website or app.

Alternatively, you have the option to contact our Customer Care Team on 1300 105 343 between 5am – 9pm, 7 days a week.

NOTE: with the exception of illness, cancellations within the required time frames will be charged as a normal booking (see below).

Cancellation notice times required for each of our services are:

Casual booking: 2 days

Recurring booking: 7 days

Rocketeers: 7 days

Pupil Free Day: 7 days

Child Care Subsidy

The Child Care Subsidy (CCS) is a government entitlement where the government pays a portion of your fees direct to Camp Australia to reduce your out-of-pocket cost.

Eligible families can receive up to 90% off their fees.

The subsidy is designed to make the cost of childcare more affordable.

There are three main factors that affect the level of subsidy that you could receive:

Your OSHC fees (Centrelink will cover a percentage of the fees up to their hourly cap, which currently sits at approx $13.73)

Your fortnightly activity (paid and unpaid work or study)

Your combined family income

You can find out more about the CCS and your eligibility by contacting Centrelink or visiting the Education.gov.au website

Our Customer Care Team are happy to assist with any general queries related to CCS that may help with your OSHC journey. You can contact them on 1300 105 343.

The government also has the Additional Child Care Subsidy (ACCS) for families who require more support.

To receive ACCS, you need to be eligible for CCS first and need to be one of the following:

An eligible grandparent getting an income support payment

Transitioning from certain income support payments to work

Experiencing temporary financial hardship

Caring for a child who is vulnerable or at risk of harm, abuse, or neglect

For more information on the ACCS – visit Services Australia.

Our Customer Care Team are happy to assist with any general queries related to CCS or ACCS that may help with your OSHC journey. You can contact them on 1300 105 343.

You’ll need to apply for CCS through Centrelink, via your MyGov account.

You’ll receive a notification from Centrelink if your claim has been assessed or approved.

For further information you can contact Centrelink on 13 61 50.

Once your CCS is approved;

Ensure your child’s details, including their Customer Reference Number (CRN) and date of birth (for both child/ren and parent) are up to date in our system

Confirm the Camp Australia enrolment via MyGov

Once this is done your CCS will automatically be applied prior to your statement being issued to you.

From 10 July 2023, if your family earns under $530,000, you’ll get increased Child Care Subsidy (CCS). Families earning up to $80,000 will get an increased maximum CCS amount, from 85% to 90%. This means cheaper childcare is available for eligible families. Find out more.

COVID Safe Plan

We understand that the health and safety of your child is an absolute priority, and we take this very seriously whilst your precious little one is in our care.

We’ve developed a comprehensive COVID Safe Plan to ensure all our centres work under the best practice.

If you’d like to view this in detail, click here.

It’s an ongoing commitment of Camp Australia to keep your children and our communities safe.

It’s a condition of employment that our staff comply with their relevant state laws and regulations for COVID vaccinations.

Educators

Each Camp Australia OSHC (Your OSHC) is led by a Coordinator who manages the delivery of our services. Working under each Coordinator are our educators, who are all trained childcare professionals.

Staff numbers vary at each location and are based on government ratios.

We take absolute delight in offering the best Coordinators and educators who love to motivate and instil passion in your children to guide and encourage positive learning experiences.

All our educators hold relevant qualifications along with the state Blue Card or Working with Children Checks.

Feedback

We love hearing your thoughts and what we can do to improve our service to your family.

If you have any feedback, ideas or suggestions, you can provide them via two routes:

Our Customer Care Team on 1300 105 343, or

E-mail at [email protected]

Fees & Billing

Each of our locations offers different services and associated fees.

You can view our fees for your school by visiting the Camp Australia website, searching for your school and viewing their page.

Your individual out-of-pocket expense will vary based on your Child Care Subsidy (CCS) eligibility and percentage.

Each family will have a different out-of-pocket cost based on their CCS percentage and eligibility.

Camp Australia are not able to confirm your out-of-pocket cost until we’re able to apply your CCS percentage to your statement.

Each Camp Australia service is reviewed on its own merits. Each service location offers fees that reflect the differing services they provide.

Some of the things that will impact the fees in each location are:

Hours of operation

Range of programs being delivered

Average attendance numbers

Staffing requirements

If you think the CCS has not been applied to your statement;

Check all details are correct, including both the child/ren and the claiming parent’s date of birth and CRN details

Check on MyGov that your Camp Australia enrolment is confirmed

View your child’s session reports via MyGov and you’ll be able to check how much CCS has been paid (if nothing has been paid, it will show a reason)

For further enquiries you’ll need to contact Centrelink directly on 13 61 50 to follow up on any missing CCS or repayment amounts.

Camp Australia bills in arrears. Your upcoming charges may not reflect your CCS if this has not been processed by Centrelink.

We recommend reviewing your statements each fortnight when you receive them to ensure your CCS has been applied.

To ensure CCS entitlements are applied to your sessions, all Camp Australia accounts are billed fortnightly in arrears.

Upcoming billing dates can be viewed here

You can pay your account via the following options:

Automated direct debits from a nominated bank account or credit/debit card on the statement due date

Manually via direct debit or credit/debit card on the Parent Portal

Over the phone with our Customer Care Team on 1300 105 343

Please note: all payments by direct debit using a credit/debit card will incur a surcharge of 0.635%. Direct debits from a bank account will not incur any surcharge.

It means there can be a range of charges outside of the booking fees.

These may include:

Overdue fees

Annual enrolment fees

Failed payment fees

Late booking fee (if you book within 48 hours of the session)

Late pick-up fees, etc.

You can access your statement and individual charges on the ‘Billing’ area of the Parent Portal

Unexpected financial hardships happen in life.

If you’re unable to pay your account balance in full, please contact our Customer Care Team on 1300 105 343 before the statement due date to discuss your payment options.

Camp Australia relies on booking numbers to ensure our staff can meet ratio requirements for each service.

For any booking that’s made outside of a recurring schedule, or any one-off booking, is classified as a casual booking.

You’ll be charged a casual booking if you;

Book within the required recurring booking notice period, or

Have not met booking requirements for a recurring schedule

Food

We love that our educators are excited to support positive food choices by our children.

We encourage healthy eating at Camp Australia and dedicate at least 75% of our food budget to seasonal fruit and vegetables.

The food offered at each service varies based on seasonal offering and locations. If you’re after specific information on your local Camp Australia Your OSHC, we recommend contacting your local Coordinator.

Find out more about our new enhanced menu here

We offer breakfast options, such as:

Porridge

Muffins

Pancakes

Healthy cereal, oats and milk

Fresh fruit

Toast with lots of spreads and toppings such as baked beans, honey or vegemite

Find out more about our new enhanced menu here

We offer afternoon snack options, such as:

Fruit and veggie platters

Homemade hummus and rice crackers

Salad sandwiches on wholemeal bread

Healthy popcorn

Special tasty treats like homemade banana bread

Find out more about our new enhanced menu here

During a Pupil Free Day, we offer our usual breakfast and afternoon snack options, but we ask that you pack a lunch for your child and any other snacks they may require throughout the day.

While some Rocketeers holiday experiences may include exciting cooking activities, we ask that each day, you provide all snacks, lunch, and a drink bottle for your child for any Rocketeers session they attend. Every morning at a Rocketeers session will see your child digging into our healthy Breakfast Bar with various options to choose from. Every afternoon is also filled with tasty snacks to help fuel young minds.

Medical Requirements

If your child has a medical condition, we need authorised documentation so we’re able to provide them safe care.

If your child as asthma, anaphylaxis or allergic reactions, we ask that you download and complete the below templates and upload them into your Parent Portal prior to your child’s first attendance.

Asthma Action Plan

Action Plan for Anaphylaxis (generic)

Action Plan for Anaphylaxis (EpiPen)

Action Plan for Anaphylaxis (Anapen)

Action Plan for Anaphylaxis (EpiPen and Anapen)

Action Plan for allergic reactions

For diabetes, epilepsy, and other medical conditions, please upload to the Parent Portal an action plan and medical management plan that has been endorsed by your child’s medical practitioner.

It’s important to reach out to the staff at your service as early as possible to allow time to adequately plan and prepare for your child’s first attendance.

Of course. We understand that every child has unique needs.

We have over 30 years of experience working with families to offer tailored support to ensure your child is safe and happy in our care.

From extra training for our staff to resources and dedicated specialists, we’re committed to making our care work for your child.

If your child has any additional needs, our award-winning CARE program has been designed and implemented to ensure that we provide the best guidance, care and support available.

We have;

1800+ educators trained in Resilient Mindset,

1500+ educators trained in Autism awareness, and

Over 400 Inclusion Support Educators working across 81 services every week

We strongly recommend that you advise us of your child’s additional needs when you register. This ensures that our educators can provide a program that includes your child from day one.

If you require further assistance, pop down to the OSHC service at your school and have a chat with their team to see what support is available to your family.

Registration

Camp Australia knows parents are busy and we know that registering for childcare can seem daunting. We’ve tried to make the process as hassle-free as possible.

All you need to do is complete one registration form and your child is enrolled in both Your OSHC (Before and After School Care) and our Rocketeers Extraordinary School Holiday Program.

Before you register, we recommend organising the following information. If you have everything on hand, it should take about 10-15 minutes to complete our registration form.

  • Child’s Centrelink Customer Reference Number (CRN)
  • Child’s Immunisation Certificate
  • Parent details and contact numbers
  • Contact details for authorised people to pick up/drop off
  • Medical information (e.g. Asthma Care Plan)
  • Copies of Family Court Orders

Once you have all the above ready to go, you’ll find our registration forms on two easy-to-use platforms.

  1. Online via the Camp Australia website
  2. Download the Camp Australia app (available on iPhone and Android) and follow the step-by-step registration process.

Check out our How to enrol information page

Registration is a requirement to use Camp Australia services.

It allows us to offer tailored care to your child during their time with us. It tells us important details, including:

  • Allergies
  • Your Child Care Subsidy (CCS)
  • Family arrangements (e.g. separated parents)
  • Family background and traditions/customs
  • Family and friends with permission to pick up and drop off your child

There are two simple ways to register for Camp Australia.

  1. Online form via the Camp Australia website: or,
  2. Download the Camp Australia app (available on iPhone and Android) and follow step-by-step registration process.

Check out our How to enrol information page.

Statements

If you think the CCS has not been applied to your statement;

Check all details are correct, including both the child/ren and the claiming parent’s date of birth and CRN details

Check on MyGov that your Camp Australia enrolment is confirmed

View your child’s session reports via MyGov and you’ll be able to check how much CCS has been paid (if nothing has been paid, it will show a reason)

For further enquiries you’ll need to contact Centrelink directly on 13 61 50 to follow up on any missing CCS or repayment amounts.

Understanding your Camp Australia statement can sometimes be tricky to navigate due to varying session times and changes to the Child Care Subsidy (CCS) from 10 July. From billing periods to the total amount due and other billing information you can view in detail, here’s our guide to help you better understand your Camp Australia bill.

Statements are sent fortnightly to your nominated e-mail or postal address.

Digital statements can be downloaded at any time from the ‘Billing’ area of the Parent Portal.

Please note: statements sent via post incur a $2 print and postage fee.

Your Parent Portal will show a live balance and may include charges that may not have been invoiced yet.

To confirm the amount due, we recommend referring to the balance indicated in the e-mail statement.

Your OSHC & Rocketeers

Depending on your location, there are three main types of Before and After School Care for Your OHSC during the school term.

At Before School Care we start your child’s day with a healthy breakfast. We then build their confidence ahead of the school day by engaging in a social activity with their OSHC friends.

At After School Care we have a bigger activity planned to help your child learn through the experiences that they have. Plus, we provide a healthy afternoon snack to fuel their young minds.

Our Pupil Free Days see your child experiencing a full day of varied and tailored experiences. It’s a great way for your child to socialise with all their friends on their day off, whilst learning and building confidence. We’ll provide your child with a healthy breakfast and afternoon snack, but we do ask that you pack their lunch for the day and any other food that you may want them to have.

In every session of our Before and After School Care, your Coordinator and their team of highly trained educators hold showcase activities to engage the children and encourage their inquisitive minds.

Our programs align with My Time, Our Place Framework for School Age Care in Australia.

The exciting thing about Your OSHC is that no two days are the same.

Here are some examples of the activities we offer at Camp Australia:

Cooking delicious apple muffins or vegemite scrolls

A group sport activity like hockey or soccer

Relaxing mindfulness practices, including yoga and meditation

Board games

Art and craft

Construction and 'building zones’

Performing arts

Reading

‘Quiet zone’ for resting after a big school day

We also offer Homework Club, where our educators will assist your child with their homework tasks. This is a great support, as they’re free to enjoy the evening at home without the stress of having to complete extra schoolwork.

Camp Australia provides a school holiday program called Rocketeers.

Operating in over 200 schools during the school holidays, one of the wonderful things about Rocketeers is that you’re free to pick and choose the location of your enrolment and are not limited to the school that your child attends during the school term.

To find your nearest and the latest Rocketeers program, search your suburb here

That's completely fine. Your child can still attend any of our other amazing Rocketeers Extraordinary School Holiday Program locations.

Maybe you’re away from friends, looking for a closer spot to home, or keen on one of the programmed experiences at a different school – you can choose which Rocketeers program your child attends.

Simply choose the preferred location on our easy booking system and your child can attend the Rocketeers location that best suits your family.

While we would love to offer our Rocketeers Extraordinary School Holiday Program at more schools, our locations are based on booking numbers and demand within the school community, staff availability and location. We also need permission from the school, as well as required resources and space.

Your child can still attend a Rocketeers program, even if they’re not enrolled in the school where it takes place.

To find your nearest and the latest Rocketeers program, search your suburb here.

Preschool-aged children (4-5 years) can attend selected Rocketeers sessions run within the school setting, which includes;

Operation: Base Camp days

Project: Incursions

Unfortunately, preschool-aged children cannot attend excursions.

On your child’s first Before School Care session, you’ll drop your child with us at the dedicated OSHC area at your school.

Our staff will meet with you and your child and address any anxious worries or questions either of you may have. Once you’re comfortable to leave, we’ll welcome your child into our activities.

Prior of the morning school bell ringing, our staff will walk with your child to their classroom to ensure they know where to go and to make sure they arrive happy and safe to continue their first day.

We understand the first After School Care session can be nerve-racking for parents and children. To make the process easier, our friendly staff will meet your child at their classroom to help them orientate and learn where they need to go for future sessions.

Our educators will introduce your child to the Coordinator, other educators and children who will be participating in the OSHC session.

During your child’s first session we also pair them up with a ‘buddy’ who will welcome them into the group and encourage them to build friendships and participate in activities.

At the end of your first session, we like to send you a text to see how it all went and how our new little member is feeling after their afternoon adventures. We appreciate all feedback so you can tailor our services to your family’s needs.

First time at Rocketeers?

We get it. Little minds can find starting a new holiday camp scary and daunting. Our mission is to ensure your child feels safe and welcomed to give them the opportunity to blast off into their day, make new friends, and have fun on new adventures.

Our friendly crew will meet with your child on the day, welcome them to the group and brief them on what the day will look like. If you or your child have any questions on the morning, our friendly staff will be more than happy to answer those for you.