Criteria for selection
All parents are entitled to ask us to place their child on our waiting list. As our waiting list is long, we would like to outline some of the factors that influence where a child is prioritised on the list.
Factors that impact on our criteria for selection
Some of the conditions that dictate or influence our criteria for selection include:
- The Federal Government’s guidelines for access to childcare, which we are bound by law to follow.
- The fact that we are auspiced by the City of Melbourne, and that the Council encourages the prioritisation of residents as child care recipients.
- Family considerations of existing members.
- The conditions of our licence, which limits the number of spaces we are able to offer on any one day in any one room.
- The balance of ages and genders of children in any room (which impacts on the ability of staff to provide individual care).
- The Centre’s status as a co-operative, with the incumbent responsibilities of parents to take an active role in the operation and decision-making of the Centre
Criteria for selection
Given the factors above, we have a set of criteria for selection, which is set out below in order of importance:
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Responding to the needs of Children at Risk
The centre offers places to children deemed ‘at risk’ in line with Federal Government policy.
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Prioritising siblings
The centre offers places to the siblings of children:
- Who have been enrolled in the Centre for at least 12 consecutive months, and who continue to be enrolled.
- Whose parent(s) or guardian(s) have been actively involved in co-operative activities such as general meetings, fundraising initiatives, social activities or working bees.
- Whose parent(s) or guardian(s) are employed (either full-time or part-time), undertaking study or training and/or actively looking for work.
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Supporting those who live or work in the City of Melbourne
Next, when vacancies arise, the centre offers places to children whose parent(s) or guardian(s):
- Live and work/study within the South Yarra, St Kilda Road, Southbank or CBD boundaries of the City of Melbourne;
- Live but do not work/study within the South Yarra, St Kilda Road, Southbank or CBD boundaries of the City of Melbourne; or
- Work/study but do not live within the South Yarra, St Kilda Road, Southbank or CBD boundaries of the City of Melbourne.
‘Work’ means that a parent is either employed full-time or part-time or actively looking for work. Under Section ‘C’, siblings of children who were past enrolees for 12 months or more will be given priority.
Finally:
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All others on the waiting list are taken into account.
- The gender and age of a child are taken into account to ensure balance in the rooms (an appropriate age and gender balance provides for a greater quality of care for individual children).
- Staff can take into account relative waiting times on the list (for example, if two families meet the same criteria but one has been waiting much longer than another, the longer waiting family may be offered a priority place).
The Centre has to balance a range of issues in its selection process. Two other factors are considered in relation to Sections C and D.
The Centre's Committee also reserves the right, in its absolute discretion, to make a selection in ‘special circumstances’ upon the written application of a parent who is a present or past member of the Fawkner Park Children’s Centre co-operative. In exercising its discretion the Committee may take into account any of the above factors or any other matter raised by the parent.
Parents should understand that using the selection criteria above means parents who put their name down before others may not necessarily be offered a place first. Someone behind you on the waiting list may be offered a place first because they meet our priority criteria.
We know these guidelines are detailed; however this level of detail helps us to make consistent and fair decisions. Having said this, where the guidelines are not clear in a particular case, or where an outcome would be unjust, our Committee of Management will make a determination on behalf of the Centre.