Welcome to the September 2010 Camden Macarthur Child Care Directory Newsletter.

This month we welcome Little Green Frogs Pre-School at Leumeah to the child care directory. We also welcome Allergy Pathways to our Professionals for Children directory. And Weston Sparkles Domestic Cleaning Service to our resources for parents directory. Read more about these great services below.

Some child care services still have vacancies for 2010 and are taking enrolments now for 2011, so be quick to get in contact with the services that you are interested in for more information be sure to check out the detailed listings.

This month's parent resource is about the different types of child care we give you descriptions on long day care, preschool, kindergarten, vacation care and more, hope you find it helpful and it helps you to make an informed decision about which suits your family.

WIN...WIN....have you used our website to look or find child care? This month you have a chance to win a $60.000 gift voucher from www.blanky4me.com

Welcome to Little Green Frogs Pre-School

Caring for children from 6 weeks to 6 years of age. We also cater for before & after school care. We are open 7am-6pm Monday to Friday 50 weeks per year.

We are family owned and operated. Little Green Frogs is run by 3 sisters Kylie, Melanie and Natalie. Together we have over 20 years experience in the childcare industry.

We also have a team of dedicated individuals, who have an absolute love of children. We provide a weekly educational program that is divided into specific areas that will enhance all your child's developmental skills.

Throughout the year, staff will collect your child's artwork, and record their developmental progress, and this will be presented in a portfolio, which will be handed out at the end of the year.

We also provide a school readiness program for children who are going to school next year.

We provide nutritious meals and a quality preschool education with long day care hours.

We have limited vacancies so please contact us. We welcome all enquiries and look forward to showing you our lovely centre.

Allergy Pathways
As parents we naturally want the best for our children. When our children suffer with allergies the whole family suffers with them as we watch them struggle with school and miss out on a carefree childhood.

Having happy and healthy children is a goal of every parent.

Allergy Pathway treatments are gentle, non-invasive and suitable for all ages. You are offered a natural alternative to needles, restrictive diets, drugs and supplements.

For more information, 9964 0099 www.allergypathway.com.au

Weston Sparkles Domestic Cleaning Service offers a wide range of cleaning services and can:

Provide weekly, fortnightly, monthly or as a one-off spring clean or special occasion service;

Offer affordable, reliable and highly experienced cleaners;

Give you more time to enjoy life and more precious time to spend with your family;

Lift your spirits when you walk into a freshly cleaned home;

Provide gift vouchers to suit all occasions;
Imagine giving a new mum a voucher to have her house cleaned when she returns home from hospital or a few weeks after being home with a new baby! What an amazing gift. Special Offer: for all gift vouchers purchased in the month of September over $99.00. Will receive 20% discount off a clean at their own house !!

For more information on the options and packages available visit www.westonsparkles.com.au or call us on 1300 766 774

ACCCO, an early Childhood Training Institution is an Australian wide organisation which has a locally based office in the Macarthur area. ACCCO offers a range of Nationally Recognised & VETAB Accredited Training Programs delivered on a Full-time, Part-time basis as well as being able to offer external studies and traineeships.

ACCCO is dedicated to improving excellence in training and meeting the needs of industry and clients. All trainers are fully qualified and experienced in the Early Childhood Industry.

We are delighted to announce we won the Business Achievers Award and now are in the HALL OF FAME (SILVER) means 5 wins!!

Contact our NSW Office on (02)9618 6263 or nsw.info@accco.com.au

Ambervale
Kindy Patch

Appin
Bambinos Kindergarten Appin

Bargo
Bargo Child Care Centre
Kids Korner

Bow Bowing
Kool Kids Kindacare

Campbelltown
Campbelltown Prebyterian Community Child Care
Little Einstein's Early Learning Centre - Campbelltown
St Patrick's Child Care Centre
Unique Kids Early Childhood Centre Inc

Currans Hill
UnitingCare Currans Hill OSHC

Denham Court
Leaping Learners Early Education Centre

Glenfield
Glenfield Preschool Kindergarten
Playground Learning Centre

Whether you're new to childcare or an old hat, you can't help but be confused by the different titles given to child care services these days. Here's a guide to help you work out what your options are.

Long Day Care
Long day care is just that - child care that is available from early in the morning to early evening, breakfast to dinner. The best option for parents who work the typical nine to five, long day care usually services children from around six weeks to six years, and tend to provide meals, nappies as well as developmental and school readiness programs for the children. Centres remain open during school holidays.

Long day care centres are predominantly approved child care, so parents whose children attend are eligible for the child care benefit. Centres can be run by communities, local councils, private operators and occasionally even employers and companies looking to make their business more family-friendly.

Family Day Care
Family Day Carers look after a smaller number of children in their own home. As a part of a network of caregivers carefully monitored by a family day care scheme, they provide care and developmental activities for the children, and are often more flexible with their hours - some can even include weekends and overnight stays for shift workers.

Family Day Care is generally aimed at non-school-aged children, but depending on the carer can be available to primary school children before and after school. Parents whose children attend Family Day Care are eligible for the child care benefit.

Pre-school/Kindergarten
Pre-school or kindergarten is usually for children between the ages of 3 - 5 and is designed to educate children before they begin school. Hours and setup are similar to that of a school - start at 9, finish at 3 and children are required to bring their own lunch and snacks. Centres tend to be closed during the school holidays.

Pre-schools and kindergartens can be privately or council run, or can be an initiative of a community or a part of another service such as long day care or occasional care.

Occasional Care
Occasional Care is designed for parents who require care for short periods of time for children from about six weeks to school age. Care can be provided for an hour or more per day on an irregular (or occasional) basis. Centres often provide developmental activities as the opportunity to socialise with other children for children who are not in regular care or pre-school. Occasional care can be run privately, by local councils or be a community centre, and is often attached to a pre-school or long day care centre.

Before and After School Care
Often referred to as OOSH (Outside of School Hours) is run mainly for primary-school-aged children and opens for care before and after school hours, as well as pupil-free days during school terms. This kind of care is ideal for parents who work typical nine to five days and are unable to drop off and pick up their children at the standard times.

Centres typically provide recreational activities and are usually associated with schools, occasional care centres and preschools.

Vacation Care
Vacation care is designed for school-aged children during school holidays. With hours comparable to that of a long day care centre, children are provided with a variety of indoor and outdoor recreational activities, including outings such as the beach or movies. Vacation care is usually offered by before and after school care services.

Nannies
A nanny is a single carer that cares for the children inside the home and may or may not live with the family. Nannies are typically employed by the parents directly, with hours and duties negotiable. Typically, a nanny's duties revolve solely around the care of the children, however some nanny's also undertake domestic tasks such as cooking and cleaning. Parents looking to hire a nanny also have options such as an Au Pair, which is typically a young person from another country who provides child care in return for board and a small allowance, as well as nanny sharing with another family.