Early childhood education and care providers must not offer prohibited inducements when advertising or promoting their service.
On this page:
What are inducements
An inducement is something offered by a provider or third party to encourage a family to enrol their child.
Ban on certain inducements
Providers must not offer inducements that are financial, or that are not directly related to the quality or delivery of education and care.
Some examples of inducements not allowed include:
- cash
- vouchers or gift cards
- tablets, iPads or other electronic devices
- other gifts or giveaways.
Inducements can also include offers made to families already enrolled if the offer is likely to encourage another family to start, continue or increase care with the provider.
What providers can offer
Providers can:
- offer and advertise discounted or free child care, but must report fee discounts correctly if Child Care Subsidy (CCS) is claimed
- advertise their service to prospective families and offer free site visits or trial periods
- give marketing merchandise worth up to $30 for each complying written arrangement
- offer transport to or from the service if this is part of their usual business practice
- include extracurricular activities in session fees if they use the correct billing practices
- advertise their social impact activities, including donations to charity.
If you have questions, contact the CCS Provider Helpdesk at ccshelpdesk@education.gov.au.
Compliance
We may take compliance action if a provider offers inducements that are not permitted under the law. This could include:
- putting conditions on your approval
- suspending or cancelling your approval.
Submit a tip-off
If you believe a provider is offering prohibited inducements, you can report it to us.
The CCS fraud tip-off form is anonymous and only takes a few minutes to complete.