Altitude Kids Dysart will hold 1 licence for 75 children from the age 0 to 12 years for Long Day Care and Outside School Hours Care. The centre will operate between 6am to 6pm, Monday – Friday, 50 weeks of the year. We close each year for two weeks over the Christmas New Year period and also on all Queensland public holidays. 

Frequently Asked Questions on Dysart 

Rooms

The Centre will have 5 rooms and children will be placed into one of the following rooms according to their age and ability.

 Room name         Age                               Child Capacity   Staff Ratio

Possums                 0 to 2 years                    8 children            1 : 4

Angel Fish               15 months to 3 years     10 children          1 : 5

Sea Turtles              2 years to 3 years         12 children          1 : 6

Emus                        3 years to 6 years         24 children          1 : 12

Green Tree Frogs    4 years to 6 years         21 children          1 : 12

Staff

The Department of Communities is very strict with ensuring that the people employed at within a Child Care Centre are well qualified. All will have a Blue Card, which ensures they are able to work with children and they will have or will be studying toward their qualifications.

We are looking for staff now, so if you know someone who is interested, please ask them to contact Su Garrett on 0405 480 343 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

What will the children be doing while they are at the Centre?

Under Department of Communities Regulations and the National Child Care Accreditation Council we are required to provide relevant and appropriate programs for children of all ages.

The activities in each room will be programmed by the Group Leader in the room and co-ordinated by the Director of the Centre. All activities that the children participate in help them to develop; they include sitting in group time listening to stories, learning to wash their hands, playing in the sandpit with their friends, painting, learning to eat with a spoon,  learning to take turns to play or speak.

The daily routine and activities will always be displayed for parents to see, plus a communications book to tell you what they have been doing for the day. We will update our website with information for parents and we will publish monthly newsletters.

Will you prepare children for school?

Yes, we will run a School Readiness program for children who are attending Prep next year. There are many important skills that children need to know before they go to school; some that may not easily occur to you include opening their lunch box, being able to sit in a class, knowing when to put their jumper on or off. We will work with Dysart State School to ensure that we are teaching our children skills that will prepare them for prep.

What do you have in mind for afternoon naps?

Children need different levels of sleep, and home routines for younger children will be maintained as much as possible. Cots are available in the Possums room and all other children have stretcher beds to sleep on.  All children are given the opportunity to sleep after lunch; we have a sleep policy that states that children are encouraged to rest, but do not have to sleep.

What do you do with children that are not toilet trained?

We will have nappy change facilities in all rooms, and our staff will work with you to help you to toilet train your children. There is no problem with children not being toilet trained.

Do you do half days?

The length of time that you leave your child at the Centre is up to you, however our pricing structure is daily, therefore you pay for the whole day, regardless of the amount of time that your child attends.

What are the opening hours of the Centre?

It is likely that the Centre will open from 6am to 6pm. If you can provide any feedback on what hours would suit your family, we would be happy to hear from you.

What will the fees be?

We have not set a fee for the Centre yet, however the current fees at Altitude Kids Moranbah are $79.50 for children under 3 and $71.50 for children over 3, we also have discounts for multiple days and for siblings. The daily fee is for care from 7am to 6pm, and includes all food, sheets, a bag, shirt and hat on enrolment.

The fees for Dysart will be set in accordance with the service that is being provided.

There are two types of government subsidies available to families, including Child Care Benefit and the Child Care Tax Rebate, which is a rebate of 50% of your out of pocket expenses. To find out about government subsidies you should call 136 150 or go to the website, www.familyassist.gov.au.

When dad is at home on days required for care and they have the child/children is there a holding fee or would full day fees still apply if the child isn't there.

Children are enrolled to attend on set days of the week. We have spent a long time looking for a way to solve this problem of changing enrolment days because dad is home and we have not got a simple solution.   

Generally we find that children need the routine of attending care and regardless of whether there is an adult at home or not the child will come to Child Care because they enjoy it and the activities are continuing to happen.

If the child does not attend for any reason that day is counted as an absence and the family is charged for the day. If you are receiving Child Care Benefit a child is only able to have 42 days absent per financial year before the Child Care Benefit ceases.

When can I enrol?

We will be asking parents to complete an enrolment form from January 2008.

Any more questions?

If you have any questions about the Centre please contact Su Garrett on 0405 480 343 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it