Family Day Care (FDC) is a type of early childhood education and care (ECEC) usually provided in the home of an educator.
On this page:
About Family Day Care
FDC is usually provided to small groups of children in the home of an educator or an agreed venue.
Service eligibility
To operate a CCS approved FDC service, you must be an approved provider.
FDC services must:
- be approved as a Family Day Care service under the National Law
- hold any other relevant approvals required by the state or territory
- operate for at least 48 weeks per year.
Obligations
All approved providers have rules, also known as ‘obligations’, they must follow under Family Assistance Law (FAL) and National Law.
FAL set the rules for administering Child Care Subsidy (CCS). Providers that administer CCS must comply with FAL to maintain CCS approval.
The National Law sets a standard for early childhood education and care across Australia. The National Regulations outline operational requirements for services.
National Law and Regulations are administered by regulatory authorities in each state and territory.
Find information and resources about your legal obligations under FAL and National law.
National Quality Framework
CBDC providers and services must also adhere to the National Quality Framework (NQF).
The NQF is Australia’s system for regulating ECEC. It provides a national approach to regulation, assessment and quality improvement.
The NQF also sets rules about educator to child ratios for CBDC services.
Rules specific to Family Day Care
Caring for relatives
There are rules around claiming Child Care Subsidy (CCS) for FDC educators who care for relatives.
Learn about providing care for relatives
Notifications and reporting
Educator ceases or lapses providing care
FDC providers must tell us when any of the following events occur:
- an educator is no longer engage by or registered with any of their services
- 3 months have passed since the educator last provided care on behalf of the provider.
Change of name and/or address
You must tell us about changes to the name or contact details of any educators.
You must tell us about a change to the physical address of the premises from which an educator provides care on behalf of your service.
New educator
You must notify us of the name and contact details for new educators.
You must declare that the required background checks for these people are complete.
You must show evidence of these checks if asked.
Learn about FDC reporting requirements
Working with Children Check
A working with children check (WWCC) is one of the background checks required for an FDC educator. It indicates whether a person is suitable to work with children.
FDC providers must report accurate and current educator WWCC details to us via the Provider Entry Point (PEP) or your third-party software. PRODA records may also need to be updated.