Frequently Asked Questions

To enrol at St Nicholas Early Education, submit an online enquiry for your preferred centre. A Centre Director will then contact you to discuss your family’s needs, invite you for a tour, and guide you through the next steps. If a suitable place is available, you will receive an offer and online enrolment form. If there is no current availability, you can join the waitlist.

Yes. Families are encouraged to tour their preferred centre before enrolling. A tour gives you the chance to meet the Centre Director and educators, explore the learning environments and ask questions about routines, meals, fees, Child Care Subsidy, the preschool program, and your child’s transition into care.

Timelines vary depending on availability at your preferred centre. Once you submit an enquiry, a Centre Director will contact you to discuss your family’s needs and arrange a tour. If a place is available and you choose to proceed, your enrolment can be completed quickly and easily depending on your access to the required information. Families joining a waitlist may wait longer depending on the centre, age group and days required. Enquiring early is always recommended.

If your preferred days or centre are not available, you can join the waitlist by submitting an enquiry. St Nicholas will contact you when a suitable place becomes available. Waitlist times vary depending on the centre, age group and days of care needed. There is no guarantee of a place, and families are encouraged to stay in contact with their preferred service and consider flexibility with days where possible.

Before your child’s first day, your Centre Director and educators will share information to support your transition into care. On the day, families are encouraged to take time to say goodbye calmly and let educators support the transition. Educators will keep you updated and are experienced in helping children feel comfortable and connected. If you have any concerns, speak with your Centre Director – they are there to support both you and your child.

To enrol in St Nicholas OOSH or Vacation Care, submit an online enquiry for your preferred service. The St Nicholas team will contact you to confirm availability and next steps. A booking is not confirmed until you receive confirmation from St Nicholas.

No. Submitting an enquiry is the first step, but it does not guarantee a place. Your child’s place is confirmed once availability has been checked, the required enrolment steps have been completed, and St Nicholas has confirmed the booking or offer.

If your preferred days are not available, your child can be added to the waitlist. Availability can vary by centre, age group, day of the week, and type of care required. Families are encouraged to enquire early and consider flexibility with days where possible.

No. St Nicholas welcomes children and families from all backgrounds. Families do not need to be Catholic to attend St Nicholas Early Education, OOSH or Vacation Care.

St Nicholas Early Education provides care and education for children aged eight weeks to 5 years. Centres generally support children across nursery, toddler, and preschool age groups, with learning experiences tailored to each child’s age, stage, and individual development.

St Nicholas Early Education centres are located across Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Port Stephens, the Hunter and the Mid North Coast, including Branxton, Cardiff, Chisholm, Fletcher, Forster, Gillieston Heights, Kotara South, Lochinvar, Maitland, Medowie, Muswellbrook, Newcastle West, Raymond Terrace and Singleton. Visit our ‘Find a service’ page to find your nearest St Nicholas Early Education centre.

Early Education fees include care and education from qualified educators and teachers, access to learning resources and environments, meals, nappies, sunscreen, and age-appropriate learning programs. In preschool rooms, fees also include participation in the Transition to School program.

Yes. St Nicholas Early Education provides morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, and a late snack. St Nicholas also accommodates cultural and specialist dietary requirements. OOSH services provide breakfast during Before School Care and snacks during After School Care. Visit our ‘Food and nutrition’ page to learn more about our meals.

Families should pack a labelled bag, spare clothes, any required bottles or formula, a water bottle, comfort items if needed, a wide-brimmed hat, and appropriate sleep items depending on the child’s age. Specific packing requirements may vary by centre and age group.

St Nicholas Early Education delivers child-led, play-based learning guided by the Early Years Learning Framework and the National Quality Framework. The National Quality Framework includes approved learning frameworks for children aged birth to 5 years and promotes safety, health, wellbeing and quality learning outcomes. Visit our ‘Educational Program’ page to learn more about our program.

Long day care and preschool can both deliver high-quality early learning programs. At St Nicholas Early Education, preschool-aged children participate in a dedicated preschool program within a long day care setting, supported by qualified educators and teachers and guided by the same national early learning framework used across approved early childhood services. Visit our ‘Preschool Program’ page to learn more about preschool at St Nicholas Early Education.

The St Nicholas Transition to School program supports preschool-aged children as they prepare for primary school. The program focuses on social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development, and includes experiences such as school-like routines, group learning, lunch box days, school partnerships, and family collaboration. Visit our ‘Transition to School program’ page for more information.

Yes. Under the Catholic Schools of Maitland-Newcastle Enrolment Policy, children attending St Nicholas Early Education may receive greater priority enrolment at Catholic schools. This does not guarantee a place, and families should always check the relevant school’s enrolment criteria and timelines. Visit our ‘Grow With Us’ page to learn more about our partnership with Catholic Schools and St Nicholas’ priority enrolment advantage.

Yes. St Nicholas Early Education operates as long day care and is open during school holidays, generally 50 weeks of the year. Opening hours and closure periods can vary by centre, so families should confirm details with their preferred service.

Fees vary depending on the service, centre, age group, booking type, and days of care required. Families can use the St Nicholas Child Care Subsidy Calculator to estimate out-of-pocket costs based on household income, activity hours and children in care, noting that the calculator provides an estimate only. Visit our ‘Child Care Subsidy Calculator’ page to calculate your Child Care Subsidy. Visit your preferred service’s location page for details regarding that service’s fees before CCS.

The Child Care Subsidy, or CCS, is an Australian Government payment that helps reduce the cost of approved child care. It is paid directly to the provider and passed on to families as a fee reduction. Visit our ‘Child Care Subsidy’ page to learn more about the Child Care Subsidy.

Your CCS amount depends on factors including your family income, the type of care used, the hourly rate cap, your family circumstances, recognised participation and the number of children in care. From 5 January 2026, eligible families can receive at least 72 hours of subsidised care per child each fortnight, with some families eligible for up to 100 hours.

From 5 January 2026, the CCS activity test was replaced by recognised participation rules. Eligible families can receive at least 72 hours of subsidised care per child each fortnight. Families may receive up to 100 hours if recognised participation requirements or exemptions apply.

For 2026-27, the CCS hourly rate cap for Centre Based Day Care is $15.19 for children below school age and $13.30 for school-aged children. For Outside School Hours Care, the cap is also $15.19 for children below school age and $13.30 for school-aged children. The Australian Government does not set child care fees, and a family’s subsidy is applied to the lower of the hourly fee charged or the hourly rate cap.

Families claim CCS through myGov. Once your claim is approved and linked to your child’s enrolment, the subsidy is paid directly to St Nicholas and applied to your fees. The St Nicholas Billing Team can help families understand the CCS process.

Yes. If your family receives CCS, you are responsible for paying the remaining gap fee after the subsidy has been applied. Since 1 July 2023, gap fees must be paid electronically.

Eligible families may be able to access NSW Start Strong fee relief for preschool-aged children attending eligible long day care services. In 2026, fee relief is available for eligible 3-year-old and 4-year-old children, with the amount depending on the child’s age and eligibility category. Families must complete the required fee relief declaration and consent form before fee relief can be applied. To learn more about Start Strong Funding, click here.

Fees may change to reflect the cost of delivering high-quality care and education, including staffing, professional learning, food, resources, utilities, compliance requirements, and maintenance of learning environments. Families will be notified of fee changes in advance.

St Nicholas OOSH provides Outside School Hours Care for primary school-aged children, generally aged 5 to 12 years. OOSH includes Before School Care, After School Care and Vacation Care in safe, supportive and engaging environments. Visit our ‘St Nicholas OOSH’ page to learn more.

OOSH fees include supervised care, age-appropriate programs, learning and play resources, breakfast during Before School Care and snacks during After School Care. Vacation Care programs may also include excursions, incursions and special experiences, depending on the program.

St Nicholas OOSH programs can include sport, art and craft, games, cooking, drama, music, quiet spaces, relaxation and child-led play. Programs are guided by My Time, Our Place, the national approved learning framework for school-aged children. Visit our ‘Educational Program’ page to learn more about our OOSH programs.

Children should bring a wide-brimmed hat, enclosed shoes, a water bottle and weather-appropriate clothing. For Vacation Care, families may also need to pack morning tea, lunch and spare clothes, depending on the program and activities planned.

Vacation Care bookings are booked and confirmed through the St Nicholas App. If you have not received confirmation within three business days of submitting your booking, check the app and contact your service if required. Visit our ‘Vacation Care – How to make a booking’ page for more information on how to book.

Vacation Care booking delays can occur if CCS requirements are incomplete, enrolment information is out of date or required documentation is missing. This may include medical information, action plans or other documents needed to safely support your child.

Families should contact their service to cancel or change a booking. Casual OOSH and Vacation Care bookings generally require five business days’ notice for cancellations. Permanent OOSH bookings generally require two weeks’ notice to cancel.

Excursion authority forms are required so families understand and approve their child’s participation in excursions, including details such as transport, supervision, activities and potential risks. These forms are part of St Nicholas’ regulatory obligations for Vacation Care excursions.

The St Nicholas App, powered by OWNA, gives families access to important information about their child’s care, including communication, enrolment details, billing, sign-in and sign-out, announcements and updates. Visit our ‘St Nicholas App’ page to learn more.

Families receive instructions from St Nicholas during enrolment. St Nicholas advises families to use the version linked through their enrolment communication rather than downloading the standard OWNA app directly.

Families can use the app to sign children in and out, receive announcements and messages, view billing information and statements, and manage enrolment information. Additional features, such as daily updates and learning documentation, are also part of the St Nicholas App experience.

Yes. Information in the St Nicholas App is stored securely, and access is limited to authorised St Nicholas team members and approved family contacts.

St Nicholas provides app support resources for families, accessible on our ‘St Nicholas App Parent Guides’ page. Families can also reach out to their service team for further support.

St Nicholas is committed to child safety and wellbeing through policies, procedures, training, reporting processes, risk management and safeguarding practices. St Nicholas operates within the Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle and aligns with the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations and the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards. Visit our ‘Safeguarding’ page to learn more about how we keep children safe at St Nicholas.

St Nicholas Early Education and OOSH services operate under the National Quality Framework, which applies to centre-based day care, outside school hours care and preschool services. The framework includes laws and regulations, the National Quality Standard and approved learning frameworks.

The National Quality Standard sets a national benchmark for early childhood education and care quality. It includes seven quality areas designed to support children’s safety, health, wellbeing, learning and development. To learn more about the National Quality Standard, click here.

Yes. St Nicholas aims to provide inclusive environments where children are supported to participate, belong and thrive. Families are encouraged to share relevant information about their child’s needs, routines, medical requirements, allergies, developmental needs or support plans so the service can work with them to provide appropriate care.

St Nicholas educators and teachers hold qualifications relevant to their role, which may include Certificate III, Diploma or university-level early childhood teaching qualifications. Team members also complete required checks and training, including child protection and first aid requirements where relevant.

No. You do not need to be Catholic to work at St Nicholas. St Nicholas welcomes employees from a range of backgrounds who support its values and commitment to quality care, education and service.

Qualifications depend on the role. Early Education roles may require, or support you to work towards, early childhood qualifications such as Certificate III, Diploma or early childhood teaching qualifications. Some OOSH roles may not require a formal qualification, depending on the position, but all roles require appropriate checks and suitability requirements.

Yes. St Nicholas Pathways supports people to build careers in early childhood education and care through school-based and work-based training pathways. Qualification requirements can change depending on the program and current training package, so prospective students should check the latest St Nicholas Pathways information before applying. Visit our ‘St Nicholas Pathways’ page to learn more about traineeships and study pathways with St Nicholas.

Employee benefits include competitive pay, child care discounts, professional learning, career pathways, paid parental leave, flexible working arrangements, salary packaging, wellbeing support, and other benefits depending on the role and eligibility. Visit our ‘Why work for us?’ page to learn more about our team member benefits.