Fees and practical information for Sakura families
Everything you need to know as a Sakura family: our fees, the Child Care Subsidy and Free Kinder, what to pack, and when your child needs to stay home.
Before the Child Care Subsidy. One fee for a full day, 7.00 am to 6.00 pm, whatever time your child arrives and leaves.
- Meals: morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea and a late snack, cooked on site
- Milk: cow's milk and soy milk
- Nappies and wipes
- SPF50+ sunscreen
- Bed linen for rest time
- OWNA online learning portfolio and daily updates
Clear, fair and no surprises
- No bond or enrolment fee. Instead, two weeks of fees are charged in advance at orientation. They cover your final two weeks when you leave with notice, and any credit is refunded.
- Minimum three days a week. Bookings are for full days on fixed days each week.
- Absences and public holidays. Fees apply for booked days when your child is away, including Victorian public holidays, as your place is held for you.
- Two weeks' written notice to reduce days or leave.
- Four weeks' notice of any fee change, which is more than the 14 days the regulations require.
Full details are in our Payment of Fees Policy, which we give every family before they accept a place.
How the Child Care Subsidy works
The Child Care Subsidy (CCS) is an Australian Government payment that reduces the fees you pay. It is paid directly to us and comes straight off your account, so you only pay the difference, called the gap fee.
How much you get
Your CCS percentage depends on your family income. For 2026–27, families earning up to $88,520 receive the maximum 90%. The rate falls by 1% for every $5,000 of income above that, reaching 0% at $538,520.
Second and younger children aged 5 or under can receive a higher rate of up to 95% when family income is under $370,727. Services Australia applies this automatically.
The 3 Day Guarantee
Since 5 January 2026, every CCS-eligible family gets at least 72 hours of subsidised care a fortnight, which covers three days a week at Sakura, whatever your work or study hours.
Families can receive up to 100 hours a fortnight if both parents (or a single parent) do more than 48 hours of work, study or volunteering a fortnight, and for every Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander child. The guarantee covers subsidised hours; it does not guarantee a place.
The hourly rate cap
CCS is paid on your fee or the government's hourly rate cap, whichever is lower. For 2026–27 the cap for long day care is $15.19 an hour for children below school age.
A day at Sakura is an 11-hour session (7.00 am to 6.00 pm), so CCS is worked out on up to $167.09 of each $200 day. Services Australia also withholds 5% of your CCS until you balance it at the end of the financial year.
How to apply
Claim through myGov
Sign in to myGov, open your Centrelink online account and choose Make a claim, then Families, then Apply for Family Assistance Payments and claim Child Care Subsidy. Centrelink may ask for supporting documents.
Give us your CRNs
We need the Customer Reference Number (CRN) of the parent claiming CCS and your child's CRN, plus both dates of birth.
Confirm your enrolment
We lodge your child's enrolment. You then confirm it in your Centrelink online account, which links your CCS to Sakura.
Claim well before your child starts. If care starts before your CCS is assessed, full fees are charged and any backdated CCS (up to 28 days) is paid to you by Services Australia. Help: servicesaustralia.gov.au or Centrelink on 136 150.
Good to know
- Who is eligible: generally, a parent or guardian who cares for the child at least two nights a fortnight (or has at least a 14% share of care), pays the fees, and meets residency rules, for a child who is up to date with immunisations.
- Absences: CCS can be paid for up to 42 absence days per child each financial year, for any reason. Extra absences can be claimed for some reasons, such as illness with a medical certificate.
- First and last days: CCS is only paid from your child's first day of attendance to their last, so please make sure your child attends both.
- Long breaks: if your child doesn't attend for 14 weeks in a row, the enrolment ends for CCS. Talk to us before a long holiday.
- Extra help: the Additional Child Care Subsidy (ACCS) can help grandparent carers, families in temporary financial hardship, families moving from income support to work, and children at risk. Talk to us or Centrelink.
What might you pay?
Enter your CCS percentage and the days you need to see an estimate of your out-of-pocket cost at Sakura. You can find your percentage in your Centrelink online account, or estimate it with the Services Australia calculator.
This is an estimate only
Your actual CCS is worked out by Services Australia and can change with your income, activity and number of children. The estimate does not include Free Kinder, Additional Child Care Subsidy or the higher rate for second and younger children.
72 hours is the 3 Day Guarantee for every eligible family. Choose 100 if both parents (or a single parent) do more than 48 hours of work, study or volunteering a fortnight, or your child is Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.
Free Kinder in long day care
Free Kinder is a Victorian Government program that saves families money on kindergarten. In long day care, the government pays the centre a set amount for each child in a funded kindergarten program led by a qualified teacher, and the centre passes all of it on to families as a fee reduction.
Sakura has applied to offer a funded kindergarten program with Free Kinder from 2027. We will let families know as soon as it is approved. Once it is, eligible three- and four-year-olds in our Hana kindergarten program will receive the Free Kinder offset on their fees.
- Every family is eligible. You don't need a Health Care Card, CCS eligibility or proof of citizenship or address.
- One service only. A child can receive Free Kinder at one service at a time, and you sign a declaration naming that service.
- It comes after CCS. The offset is taken off your fees after the Child Care Subsidy, so it never reduces your CCS.
- You see it on your statement, labelled "Victorian Government Free Kinder offset", applied weekly from Term 1.
Sources: vic.gov.au/free-kinder · Best Start, Best Life
How much is the offset?
The 2026 amounts for long day care are below. The Victorian Government publishes 2027 amounts later in the year, and we will update this page when it does.
| Program | Offset per year |
|---|---|
| Four-Year-Old Kinder (15 hours a week) | $2,101 |
| Three-Year-Old Kinder (5 to 15 hours a week) | $700.33 to $2,101, depending on hours |
Three-Year-Old Kinder
Victoria funds kindergarten for three-year-olds as well as four-year-olds. Three-year-olds currently receive 5 to 15 hours a week, rising to 15 hours a week statewide by 2029.
Pre-Prep
More hours of Four-Year-Old Kinder ("Pre-Prep", up to 30 hours a week) is rolling out across Victoria and reaches metropolitan Melbourne, including Stonnington, from 2034. Some priority groups, such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and children from refugee backgrounds, can already access more hours.
How payments work
Weekly direct debit
Fees are charged weekly in advance, every Monday, by direct debit from your nominated account.
Statements
You receive a weekly statement and a fortnightly statement of entitlement showing each session, attendance times and your CCS.
Late collection
We close at 6.00 pm. A late fee of $35 applies for each 5 minutes, or part of 5 minutes, after closing.
Need help?
If you are finding fees hard to manage, talk to us early. We can discuss a payment plan and whether extra support such as ACCS may apply.
A dishonour fee applies if a direct debit fails because there are not enough funds. Questions about your CCS entitlement are answered by Centrelink on 136 150; questions about your account, by us.
Your child's bag, sorted
Please label everything with your child's name.
Please bring each day
- A spare change of clothes and shoes (extra sets for children who are toilet learning)
- A sun hat (legionnaire or broad-brimmed)
- A water bottle
- Bottles and formula, if your child uses them
- Nappy rash cream, if needed
- A comforter and a blanket for rest time
- Pull-ups, if your child is toilet learning
- Any medication your child needs, with their medical management plan
We provide
- Morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea and a late snack
- Cow's milk and soy milk
- Nappies and wipes
- SPF50+ sunscreen
- Bed linen for rest time
- Your child's online portfolio on OWNA
Signing in, signing out and who can collect
- Sign in and out every day on the OWNA kiosk at the front desk. This is a legal record of attendance and is used for your CCS.
- Tell the opening educator anything important, like how your child slept or ate. We record it so every educator knows.
- Arrive by 9.30 am if you can, so your child can join in the whole morning.
- Authorised nominees named on your enrolment form can drop off and collect your child.
- Someone new collecting? Let your child's educator know and give us written permission (an email is fine) beforehand. We will check their photo ID.
- No one under 16 can collect a child.
- We close at 6.00 pm. If you are running late, please call us on (03) 7034 7088.
When your child needs to stay home
Keeping unwell children at home helps them recover and protects other children, families and educators.
Please keep your child home if they
- have a fever
- have vomiting or diarrhoea
- are too unwell to join in the day's play and routines
- have an infectious condition that requires exclusion (see the table below)
If your child becomes unwell here
We will call you and ask you to collect your child as soon as possible, and an educator will keep them comfortable until you arrive. You will be asked to sign an illness report, which may include a period your child needs to stay home.
Please make sure your phone numbers and emergency contacts are always up to date.
Exclusion periods set by Victorian law
Victoria's Public Health and Wellbeing Regulations 2019 set minimum times that children with some infectious conditions must stay away from childcare. These are the most common ones.
| Condition | Your child can return |
|---|---|
| Diarrhoea or vomiting | 24 hours after the last loose bowel motion or vomit (48 hours during a gastroenteritis outbreak) |
| Chickenpox | When all blisters have dried, usually at least 5 days after the rash appears in unimmunised children |
| Conjunctivitis | When discharge from the eyes has stopped |
| Hand, foot and mouth disease | When all blisters have dried |
| Influenza and flu-like illness | When well |
| Impetigo (school sores) | When treatment has started; sores on exposed skin must be covered with a watertight dressing |
| Head lice, scabies, ringworm | The day after treatment has started |
| Whooping cough | 21 days after the cough starts, or after 5 days of antibiotics |
| Measles | At least 4 days after the rash appears |
| Mumps | After 5 days, or when the swelling goes down, whichever is sooner |
| Rubella (German measles) | When fully recovered, or at least 4 days after the rash appears |
| COVID-19 | Not in the exclusion table; the Department of Health recommends staying home until symptoms have gone |
For some conditions, such as measles and whooping cough, children who have been in contact and are not fully immunised may also need to stay home. Full table: health.vic.gov.au school and children's services exclusion table. If you're not sure, call us or NURSE-ON-CALL on 1300 60 60 24.
Medication
Educators can give your child medication when you have authorised it in writing on the medication record. Please:
- bring medication in its original container, with the pharmacy label showing your child's name, the dose and the expiry date
- hand it to an educator, rather than leaving it in your child's bag
- complete the medication record with the dose and time to be given
In an asthma or anaphylaxis emergency, educators can give emergency medication without prior authorisation and will contact you and emergency services straight away.
Medical conditions and allergies
If your child has a diagnosed medical condition, such as asthma, anaphylaxis, an allergy, diabetes or epilepsy, we need:
- a medical management plan from your child's doctor (for example an ASCIA action plan)
- your child's medication, such as an adrenaline autoinjector or reliever puffer, at the centre every day your child attends
- a meeting with you to agree a risk minimisation plan and communication plan before your child starts
Our Medical Conditions Policy and Administration of Medication Policy are included in your enrolment pack.
Sun protection
In Victoria the UV Index is usually 3 or higher from mid-August to the end of April, and sometimes on clear days in winter. Whenever it is 3 or above, everyone at Sakura wears a hat outdoors and we apply SPF50+ sunscreen, which we provide.
- Apply sunscreen before arrival on sunny days
- Pack a sun-safe hat every day: a legionnaire hat or a bucket or broad-brimmed hat (caps don't protect ears and necks)
- Dress your child in clothes that cover shoulders
- Let us know if your child needs a different sunscreen, and bring it labelled
Guidance: SunSmart Victoria
Sleep and rest
Babies in Yuri sleep whenever they need to, in their own cot, following Red Nose safe sleep recommendations:
- babies are always placed on their back to sleep
- heads and faces are kept uncovered
- cots meet the Australian Standard, with a firm, flat mattress and no pillows, bumpers or soft toys
- educators check sleeping children regularly and record each check
Toddlers and kindergarten children have a quiet rest after lunch on foam beds. We won't stop a child who falls asleep, and we're happy to talk about your child's sleep needs. Red Nose safe sleep advice
Keeping every child safe
Children's safety, rights and best interests come first in every decision we make. We follow Victoria's 11 Child Safe Standards, which have applied to all early childhood services since 1 July 2022.
Victoria's Child Safe Standards
- A culturally safe environment for Aboriginal children
- Child safety is embedded in leadership, governance and culture
- Children are empowered about their rights and taken seriously
- Families and communities are informed and involved
- Equity is upheld and diverse needs are respected
- People working with children are suitable and supported
- Complaints processes are child-focused
- Staff and volunteers are equipped through ongoing training
- Physical and online environments are safe
- Implementation is regularly reviewed and improved
- Policies and procedures document how the organisation is safe
What this means at Sakura
- Every educator, staff member and volunteer holds a current Working with Children Check
- All educators complete child protection training and know how to recognise and report concerns
- Children only leave with parents or authorised nominees, after photo ID is checked
- Photos of children are shared with families through the secure OWNA app, and used on social media or in marketing only with your written permission
- Our Safe Use of Digital Technologies and Online Environments Policy sets rules for devices and photos
- Children are listened to, and their feelings and ideas are taken seriously
Worried about a child?
If you have any concern about a child's safety, please speak to our Director straight away. If a child is in immediate danger, call 000.
We want to hear from you
Your ideas, compliments and concerns help us improve. Families help shape our program, our philosophy and our Quality Improvement Plan.
Talk to us
Speak with your child's educator, or ask to talk with our Director.
Put it in writing
Email info@sakuraelc.com.au. We will acknowledge your complaint, look into it and let you know the outcome, following our Dealing with Complaints Policy.
Contact the regulator
If you are not satisfied, or your concern is about a child's safety, you can contact the Victorian Early Childhood Regulatory Authority (VECRA) on 1300 307 415 or vecra@education.vic.gov.au. For questions about the Child Care Subsidy, contact the Australian Government Department of Education.
Our policies
Our policies cover every area of the National Quality Standard, including enrolment, fees, medical conditions, medication, sun protection, sleep and rest, nutrition, child safety, privacy and complaints.
They are available to read at the centre, and we are happy to send you any policy on request. We review our policies regularly and invite families to comment on changes.
Support and information for families
Maternal and Child Health Line
13 22 29, 24 hours, 7 days. Nurses answer questions about your child's health, feeding, sleep and development, from birth to school age.
Parentline Victoria
13 22 89, 8 am to midnight, 7 days. Confidential counselling and support for parents and carers.
NURSE-ON-CALL
1300 60 60 24, 24 hours. Health advice from a registered nurse, anywhere in Victoria.
Centrelink families line
136 150. Questions about the Child Care Subsidy and your entitlement.
Australian Immunisation Register
1800 653 809. Get your child's Immunisation History Statement.
Poisons Information Centre
13 11 26, 24 hours. In an emergency, always call 000.
More reading: Raising Children Network · StartingBlocks.gov.au · Better Health Channel