Question 1

Are your staff qualified and police checked?

Accepted Answer

Bug-A-Lugs educators are qualified, experienced, and committed to ongoing professional development. Our team includes teachers, diploma-qualified educators, and those actively working towards relevant qualifications in education and care.
All educators hold current Police Checks, Working with Children Checks, and approved First Aid, Anaphylaxis Management, and Emergency Asthma Management qualifications in line with Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) requirements.
In addition, all educators complete mandatory training in Protecting Children and Mandatory Reporting, and are supported to stay up to date with the Federal Child Safety reforms and the Child Safe Standards. This ensures our team maintains the highest level of knowledge, vigilance and commitment to keeping children safe and supported at all times.

Question 2

When does holiday care run?

Accepted Answer

Bug-A-Lugs provides care during school holidays and on pupil free days (depending on demand). Our holiday program includes a range of exciting incursions and excursions to keep children engaged and having fun.
Program details will be shared through your child’s school and will also be available on the Bug-A-Lugs website approximately four weeks prior to commencement.
Holiday care is provided at:
3 Hoyle Court, Kyneton
Woodend Primary School Hall, Owen Street, Woodend

Question 3

What are the fees for holiday care?

Accepted Answer

Holiday care fees are as follows:

Woodend: $110 per day
Kyneton: $130 per day
Excursion and Incursion Days: $130 per day (before Child Care Subsidy)

A $30 annual administration fee applies per family.

Families may be eligible for the Child Care Subsidy (CCS). To receive your subsidy, please ensure you have completed your CCS assessment via your MyGov account and confirmed Bug-A-Lugs as your service.  MyGov website

Bookings & Cancellations
Bookings are essential and must be made via the My Family Lounge App.
Due to staffing, ratios, and pre-booked activities, cancellations are not accepted once bookings are confirmed, and fees will apply.
Refunds
Refunds are not provided for booked days, including non-attendance.
If an excursion or incursion is cancelled due to circumstances beyond our control (e.g. weather or provider availability), the program will be adjusted accordingly, and no refunds will be issued.

Question 4

What's the priority of access?

Accepted Answer

Enrolments are accepted in line with the Commonwealth Government priority of access guidelines. Please visit Child Care Subsidy (CCS) approved services for more information.

Question 5

Where do you fit in the National Quality Standards?

Accepted Answer

We are proud to have been rated as “Exceeding the National Quality Standard (NQS)” at our Kyneton and Woodend service, reflecting our commitment to providing high-quality care and education.

The National Quality Standard (NQS) sets a national benchmark for early childhood education and care services across Australia. Services are assessed and rated by their regulatory authority against seven quality areas, which cover important aspects such as children’s health and safety, educational programs, staffing, and relationships with families.

This assessment process ensures a consistent and transparent approach across all services and helps families make informed decisions about the quality of care available.

Each service receives a rating for every quality area, as well as an overall rating. The rating levels are:
Excellent (which is awarded by ACECQA)
Exceeding NQS
Meeting NQS
Working Towards NQS
Significant Improvement Required
For more information about the NQS and service ratings, please visit Starting Blocks.

Question 6

Information on child care subsidy (CCS)

Accepted Answer

Login to MyGov and complete your online Child Care Subsidy Activity Test. You can estimate your subsidy on the website.

Child Care Subsidy has now increased   From the 7th July 2023, most families using early childhood education and care (ECEC) will get more subsidy and more families are also now eligible for CCS.Changes include:   The family income limit to get CCS has increased to $530,000.
The maximum amount of CCS has increased from 85% to 90%.
Families earning $80,000 or less get a CCS rate of 90%.
Families earning over $80,000 get a CCS rate that decreases by 1% for each $5,000 of family income. This rate reaches 0% for families earning $530,000.
Families earning below $362,408 with more than one child aged 5 or under in care get a higher rate for their second and younger children.
Families with an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander child in their care can get at least 36 hours of subsidised care per fortnight, regardless of their circumstances.
  
What do families need to do?

Families already getting CCS don’t need to do anything to get the new rates. Services Australia is applying the changes automatically.

Families who earn between $356,756 and $530,000 may now be entitled to CCS. These families can lodge a CCS claim with Services Australia.  Some families already using care may currently be assessed for CCS and get 0% but are now eligible for an increased rate.

These families should check that their income estimate is up to date through their Centrelink online account.  Families should tell Services Australia that they have an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander child in their care if they would like to get at least 36 hours of subsidised care.

Families can call Services Australia on the Centrelink families line to let them know a child in their care is an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person. It is voluntary to tell Services Australia this.

Families do not need to do anything if they already get more than 36 hours of subsidy based on their circumstances.

Please note If your child has not attended child care for 8 continuous weeks, your enrolment will end. For example, this can happen if you only use vacation care during school holidays. Read what you need to do to restart your CCS

Childcare subsidy calculator

To find out more information Call Family Assistance Office on 136 150 (8:00am-8:00pm) or visit ChildCare Subsidy - Services Australia

Question 7

What are the term dates for 2026?

Accepted Answer

Term 1: 28/01/2026 - 02/04/2026
Term 2: 20/04/2026 - 26/06/2026
Term 3: 13/07/2026 - 18/09/2026
Term 4:  05/10/2026 - 18/12/2026

Question 8

What is OSHC?

Accepted Answer

Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) is supervised care and recreation for school-age children. Hours for our OSHC services are:
Before school: 6.30am - 8.45 am
After school: 3.30 pm - 6.30 pm
Holiday Care: 6.30 am - 6.30pm

Question 9

What do we offer?

Accepted Answer

Structured and unstructured activities that are on offer during every session include arts, crafts, sports, games, a quiet homework area. Activities are catered to children’s interests. So, you can be assured you will get fun and age-appropriate activities that suits your child’s needs. Breakfast and afternoon tea is also provided during care.

Question 10

Staffing

Accepted Answer

Our Staff are either teachers, diploma qualified or actively working towards appropriate qualifications. All staff are police checked, have current Working with Children’s checks, First Aid qualifications, Anaphylaxis Management training and Emergency Asthma Management training that have been approved by Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority.

Question 11

Homework

Accepted Answer

A quiet area is available for students wishing to complete homework and readers, however Bug-A-Lugs OSHC will not be responsible for homework being done or completed.

Question 12

When will OSHC Commence?

Accepted Answer

Holiday Care will commence from 18th December 2025  until 19th December 2025 and from Tuesday 6th of January 2026 in Kyneton and yes if you have a new prep, they can join us from the 6th January! Term bookings for Woodend Primary School term care starts from Wednesday 29th January, Kyneton Primary School starts on Thursday 30th January and Our Lady of the Rosary and St. Ambrose Primary School  on Friday the 31st of January. We also provide care on the prep rest days if we have enough interest for your convenience.

Question 13

Holiday Care

Accepted Answer

Bug-A-Lugs provides care during school holidays and pupil free days (depending on demand). Holiday care will include incursions and excursions. Details will be available at your school and will be on the Bug-A-Lugs website four weeks before commencement.

Question 14

How do I enrol my child?

Accepted Answer

Bug-A-Lugs uses a fantastic online booking and waitlist management program called QK Enrol, which most importantly gives you access to make bookings and complete an online enrolment form for your child, all within a parent portal called My Family Lounge. Go to the Register for Care page to access the My Family Lounge portal. Once you have an account with us, we will be sending you a welcome email with your My Family Lounge parent portal log in details. Then you will be able to log in and request bookings for your child at your convenience

Question 15

Fees

Accepted Answer

Fees: 
Woodend: $100 per day
Kyneton: $130 per day
Excursion and Incursion Days: $130 per day (before Child Care Subsidy)

A $30 annual administration fee applies per family.

Families may be eligible for the Child Care Subsidy (CCS). To receive your subsidy, please ensure you have completed your CCS assessment via your MyGov account and confirmed Bug-A-Lugs as your service.  MyGov website

Refunds:
 No refunds will be given or cancellations accepted once bookings have been received.

* Please note that all activities are pre booked and in the event that an Excursion or an Incursion is cancelled, it will be beyond our control and no refunds will be given.

Question 16

Priority of Access

Accepted Answer

Enrolments are accepted in line with the Commonwealth Government priority of access guidelines. Please visit  DESE priority access guidelines for more information.

Question 17

Transporting Children

Accepted Answer

We are required to transport children from Kyneton Primary School, Our Lady of the Rosary Parish Primary and Saint Ambrose Parish Primary School, as we off OSHC off site to these schools. Children are transported by car, minibus, or Organs Bus. You are required to give us permission to transport your child to their school. We work closely with the school to ensure no child is left behind. You need to help us by informing your child’s school that we will be collecting them, if you are making any last-minute bookings for After School care. For more information, please talk to our friendly staff.

Question 18

National Quality Standards

Accepted Answer

We are proud to have been rated as "Exceeding the NQS” for both of our centers! For that extra piece of mind, The National Quality Standard sets a benchmark for the quality of all education and care services across Australia. Services are rated by their regulatory authority against the seven areas of the NQS to determine the quality of care being provided.

The process reflects a uniform approach to assessment and reporting across the range of service settings. Ratings promote transparency and accountability and help parents assess the quality of education and care of services available. Every service receives a rating for each quality area and an overall rating. There are four rating levels within the national quality rating with Exceeding being the highest rating. More information can be found at Starting Blocks

Question 19

Child Care Subsidy (CCS)

Accepted Answer

Login to MyGov and complete your online Child Care Subsidy Activity Test. You can estimate your subsidy on the website.

Child Care Subsidy has now increased
  From the 7th July 2023, most families using early childhood education and care (ECEC) will get more subsidy and more families are also now eligible for CCS.Changes include:

The family income limit to get CCS has increased to $530,000.
The maximum amount of CCS has increased from 85% to 90%.
Families earning $80,000 or less get a CCS rate of 90%.
Families earning over $80,000 get a CCS rate that decreases by 1% for each $5,000 of family income. This rate reaches 0% for families earning $530,000.
Families earning below $362,408 with more than one child aged 5 or under in care get a higher rate for their second and younger children.
Families with an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander child in their care can get at least 36 hours of subsidised care per fortnight, regardless of their circumstances.

What do families need to do?
 Families already getting CCS don’t need to do anything to get the new rates. Services Australia is applying the changes automatically.
 Families who earn between $356,756 and $530,000 may now be entitled to CCS. These families can lodge a CCS claim with Services Australia.
 Some families already using care may currently be assessed for CCS and get 0% but are now eligible for an increased rate. These families should check that their income estimate is up to date through their Centrelink online account.
 Families should tell Services Australia that they have an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander child in their care if they would like to get at least 36 hours of subsidised care.
 Families can call Services Australia on the Centrelink families line to let them know a child in their care is an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person. It is voluntary to tell Services Australia this.
 Families do not need to do anything if they already get more than 36 hours of subsidy based on their circumstances.

**Please note** If your child has not attended child care for 8 continuous weeks, your enrolment will end. For example, this can happen if you only use vacation care during school holidays. Read what you need to do to restart your CCS

Childcare subsidy calculator

To find out more information Call Family Assistance Office on 136 150 (8:00am-8:00pm) or visit ChildCare Subsidy - Services Australia

Question 20

Term Dates 2026

Accepted Answer

Term 1: 28/01/2026 - 02/04/2026
Term 2: 20/04/2026 - 26/06/2026
Term 3: 13/07/2026 - 18/09/2026
Term 4:  05/10/2026 - 18/12/2026

Question 21

Prep-Free Wednesdays

Accepted Answer

Preps are not required to attended school for the first 4 to 6 Wednesdays of Term 1. We will provide a full day of care to preps to accommodate for working families on these days. Preps can be dropped off at Kyneton, at any time between 6.30am-6.30pm. Full Childcare rebates will apply for eligible families on this day. Please email info@bug-a-lugs.com.au to submit your expression of interest for care on these days.

Before & After School Care

Are your staff qualified and police checked?

When does holiday care run?

What are the fees for holiday care?

What's the priority of access?

Where do you fit in the National Quality Standards?

Information on child care subsidy (CCS)

What are the term dates for 2026?

What is OSHC?

What do we offer?

Staffing

Homework

When will OSHC Commence?

Holiday Care

How do I enrol my child?

Fees

Priority of Access

Transporting Children

National Quality Standards

Child Care Subsidy (CCS)

Term Dates 2026

Prep-Free Wednesdays

Frequently asked questions