Fees

At Natural Steps we work hard to maintain a good balance between keeping our fees affordable for hard-working parents and providing an outstanding level of care for your children.

Natural Steps Ellerslie

Natural Steps Ellerslie Village

Natural Steps Ellerslie Village       Christmas Closure
The centre has a Christmas Holiday.  No fees are charged. Christmas Holiday is for 2 weeks ( i.e. 24 December 2012 - 4 January 2013).

At our centres, Natural Steps:

• All nappies are provided.
• All food is provided. (If your child requires formula you will need to supply this.)
• Enrolments are for a minimum of 2 days per week.
• All fees are to be paid in advance each Friday morning, by automatic payment for the coming week.
• All fees are calculated on a 52 week basis.
• Full fees are payable on times allocated on the enrolment form.
• Fees are due and payable for all holidays, sickness, absences, and Statutory holidays.
• A $50.00 enrolment fee is charged per child when enrolling or going onto the wait list for the centre.
• A 10% discount is offered to families with two or more children who attend on a full time basis.
• We don't accept cash/cheques/eftpos at the centre.

20 Hours ECE
Natural Steps has opted into the "20 hours" scheme - ensuring that all our parents of 3 and 4 year olds will be receiving a saving on their weekly fees. Funding rates for "20 hours" have been calculated to cover the bare minimum regulated standard of education and care. However at Natural Steps we provide well above the minimum funded standards through the provision of our outstanding early childhood education.

Unfortunately this does mean that our current operating costs for "20 hours" are not fully covered by government funding. In order for us to opt into the scheme, all 3 and 4 year olds must be enrolled for a minimum of 2 full days per week. We do not offer half/ part days or sessional education care for these children. As we cannot charge parents for the 20 hours (maximum of 6 hours per day), we have had to build in a chargeable portion of each day.

We understand that this can be confusing so if you have any further queries regarding the "20 hours" Government  policy, please see us at the Centre.

WINZ Childcare Subsidies
Many people are eligible and are unaware of the assistance that may be available from Work and Income to them to assist with childcare costs. Subsidies for pre-school and out-of-school care have increased significantly under Working for Families and are available to more parents earning higher incomes. Please ask us for more information on your entitlements and how to apply for them.