Acton Early Childhood Centre.

WAITING LIST POLICY

AIMS:

· To maintain an accurate and up to date Waiting List of families requiring Child Care and to fill vacancies and offer places equitably.

· To ensure that wherever possible children of ANU staff and students will be offered placements before children of people who have no affiliation with the ANU.

EXPLANATION:

The large number of Waiting List applications indicates that there is a high demand for child care places. As we cannot exceed our licensed number of places, it is necessary for families to apply to go on our list and to wait until a place becomes available. It is not possible to determine exactly how long it will take for a place to become available. Vacancies depend entirely upon the attendance patterns of our current enrolments.

ACTIONS:

PART A. - MANAGEMENT OF THE WAIT LIST.

· Acton Early Childhood Centre maintains a Waiting List for all children who are seeking a place at our Centre. The Waiting list is divided into 2 sections. These are :-

* The Internal Waiting List includes children who are enrolled but require changes to their existing care arrangements such as moving to the next group or adding or changing days; siblings of children who attend; children of staff working at Acton Early Childhood Centre; children who have left and wish to return to Acton Early Childhood Centre and siblings of children who have attended the centre in the past. Priority is also given on a reciprocal basis to children of staff working at the other two ANU Childcare Centres.

* The External Waiting List includes children who have not been involved with

Acton Early Childhood Centre previously.

· Current information on the status of the Wait List will be provided on the web page preceding the Wait List application form. The current information sheet will be updated each April and October when completing the Wait List update or as may otherwise be required from time to time.

· A copy of the current information sheet will also be included when posting out or emailing copies of the Wait List form to prospective Centre families.

· The Wait List will be closed and no further applications accepted if there is no reasonable chance of care for the child at the time required by the parent. The closure of the Wait List will be at the discretion of the Director in consultation with the Management Committee.

· Priorities for the Wait List are as follows :-

1) Children who are currently enrolled and attending Acton Early Childhood Centre who need to move up to the next group or who seek additional days are given first priority.

2) Siblings of children who currently attend Acton Early Childhood Centre and children of staff members at the centre are given second priority.

3) Children of staff working at both other ANU Child Care centres; Children who attended and left Acton Early Childhood Centre within the last five years OR siblings of children who attended and left Acton Early Childhood Centre within the last five years are given third priority.

4) Children of ANU staff or students who do not fall into the categories listed above are given fourth priority - External Wait List.

5) Children whose parents have no affiliation with the ANU are given fifth priority - External Wait List.

NB: PRIORITY STATUS CAN ONLY BE APPLIED IF A VACANCY EXISTS FOR THE GROUP AND DAYS REQUIRED. Priority status does not guarantee that a child care place

will be available at the time it is required or for the number of days required.

· Priority will not be offered to current or previous families if fee accounts are in arrears or if there has been a history of non-fee payment or continual late fee payment.

· When vacancies occur, places are offered in order of the date that the Waiting List application form was received, with consideration to the age group the vacancy is in; the actual days which are vacant and the need in the room for either a full time or a part time placements.

· Acton Early Childhood Centre will update the Waiting List in April and October each year. Each Wait List Applicant who required care before the date of the Wait List Update will be contacted requesting that information be updated and returned to the centre by the due date. If no reply is received by the due date the child will be removed from the Waiting List.

It is important to note :-

The allocation of places is, at all times, at the discretion of the Centre Director, with consideration given to the centre priority categories, the age group the vacancy is in, the days available, the developmental needs of the individual child and the needs and circumstances of the individual family.

PART B - PROCEDURE TO APPLY FOR THE WAIT LIST.

· To be listed on the Internal or External Waiting Lists, parents must complete the relevant Application Forms.(APPENDIX A)

· Applications for the External Waiting List must be made in writing. Parents are encouraged to make an appointment to speak with the Director if this is possible. At the time of application, the Director (or delegated staff) will also give parents a brief tour of the centre and provide a copy of the Centre Information brochure (APPENDIX B) and a copy of the Waiting List Policy if required.

· Once completed, the Waiting List application will then be given a reference number and be placed in the appropriate section of the Waiting List folder in order of the date of application. Details will also be recorded on a reference list at the front of the Waiting List.

· It is the responsibility of the family to ensure that all details on the Waiting List application form are correct and kept up to date. Names and birthdates of new babies, changes in address, phone numbers, days required etc must be notified to the Director.

· Failure to notify the Centre of the arrival of a child placed on the Wait List before it was born will result in the cancellation of the Wait List application.

· Applications for unborn babies will only be accepted if there is an actual expected date of delivery. We cannot plan effectively if we are unsure of the ages and dates of birth of the children on our list.

Approved by the AECC Management Committee on 22/8/96

Amended on 10/6/99. Amended on 13/9/01.

Reviewed 13-10-03.

Reviewed 23-8-05.

Reviewed 24-7-07.

Amended and reviewed Management Committee and Policy Review Committee 16-3-09.

Acton Early Childhood Centre.

WAIT LIST INFORMATION SHEET.

The following information is provided to assist parents in obtaining Child Care. This information may also ensure that parents do not have unrealistic expectations of obtaining care in the short term at Acton Early Childhood Centre. This information will be updated regularly and any changes to the current situation will be noted.

Please note the following:-

· The Centre’s Wait List has been closed for care commencing in 2009. If you were hoping to obtain care this year please do not place an application as the current Wait List means you will not gain care this year. We will accept applications for care in 2010.

· Although our Centre is open to the community we currently have a large number of ANU staff and students requiring care. ANU staff and students have priority to care in our Centre. Non ANU applications for the Wait List are extremely unlikely to receive an offer of care in the immediate future.

· An indicative wait time for care at the moment is between 12 to 18 months although there is no certainty of obtaining a place within this time frame.

· Parents who wish to place their child on the Wait List before it is born should fill in the form attached placing the child’s surname in the section for Name of Child and the due date in the section for Date of Birth. Parents should also indicate their intention or otherwise of immunising the child. Wait List applications will not be accepted if there is no due date.

· If you have any questions or require any clarification on this information please ring the Centre on (02) 6125 5554 or email aecc@anu.edu.au

·

Information current as at 17^th March 2009.