Child care options boosted for busy Melbourne families

11 March 2010

Parents in central Melbourne now have greater options for child care, thanks to the Brotherhood of St Laurence.

This month the Brotherhood will celebrate the expansion of its popular Family Day Care service with a launch at Father Tucker’s, 67 Brunswick St, Fitzroy, in conjunction with the City of Yarra and City of Melbourne.

Family Day Care – with up to four children aged from birth to 12 years in a secure home environment – offers a host of advantages to both care providers and families and helps families with younger children successfully manage the challenges of balancing work and family commitments.

These advantages include:

• Flexible delivery with care available at times to suit family needs
• Regular playgroup sessions
• Affordable fees
• Nationally accredited not-for-profit provider
• Qualified and supportive staff with Police checks and Working with Children checks.

Family Day Care manager, Eileen Buckley said care providers came from a range of backgrounds and cultures and formed strong relationships with children and their families.

‘Carers and families are individually matched to ensure an alignment of values and approaches to child rearing,’ Eileen said.

‘We aim to provide services for times when parents most need help, so apart from standard hours, we can also help with before school and after school care, school holiday care plus emergency care.

‘And we offer parents the opportunity to be a stay at home professional by becoming a Family Day Carer provider – we give them all the support they need and support them in gaining child care qualifications. We ensure that they are given professional development and are part of a network of local carers who get together regularly for learning and social events.’

‘Children love it – they enjoy making friends and engaging in hands-on learning while at the same time they are developing routines in a familiar home-based environment.’

Funded by the Australian Government, Family Day Care was pioneered by the Brotherhood in 1971 and has become an inclusive, home-based child care service providing quality care for small groups of children from birth to 12 years.

For more information about Family Day Care for your child or to become a care provider in the City of Yarra or City of Melbourne, contact the Brotherhood of St Laurence Family Day Care on (03) 9308 2366.