Vacation care

2024 Base rate is $91.50, 2025 Base rate is $95.00 (excursion and incursion costs will be added to the base rate).

December/January fee rates are:

• $91.50
• $95.00
• $102.50
• $107.00
• $109.00
• $110.50
• $113.50
• $115.00
• $115.50
• $116.00
• $123.00

The cost per day, includes: all meals and snacks. To see which fee type is allocated to each day, please refer to the program of activities above.

Vacation Care is an Approved Service; meaning that the Child Care Subsidy may reduce fees for eligible families.

Returning families: Returning families are not required to complete a new Xplor enrolment. Please proceed to Trybooking to select the days you require care and enter your basic registration information using the same adult and child names by clicking on the ‘Book Now’ button.

New families: Please follow the steps below:

Part 1: Booking your days

Step 1: Go to TryBooking

Step 2: Click the 'Book Now' button and select the days you require care (one ticket per child per day) and enter your basic registration information using the same adult and child names.

TryBooking will walk you through the registration process in more detail. Note that if you are booking for more than one child, you will need to book separate tickets per day for each child.

Part 2: Enrolment in Xplor

Step 1: Prepare the following documents and information:

• Your child’s birth certificate
• Your child’s immunisation history statement (Most up to date)
• Any medical management plans (e.g. for anaphylaxis) This must include a photo of the child with the plan
• Contact details of at least one emergency contact (we prefer 2)
• Court orders (if applicable)
• Your bank account or credit card details

Step 2: Complete the online enrolment form in Xplor, following the procedure provided via email.

Please note that your enrolment at Vacation Care cannot be processed until all information within Waratah Cottage Xplor is complete. This includes the Excursion Form (if applicable).

Booking on a day that incorporates an incursion or excursion means you automatically agree to participate in the activity. If you like to opt out of the activity, your child has an allergy (that might affect their ability to participate) or they require assistance to participate, please advise us via cexp.waratah@mq.edu.au when booking so that we can organise alternate arrangement.

Children MUST arrive no later than 10:30am on an incursion or excursion date to participate in the planned activity.

Incursion list:

• Wednesday 18 December 2024 – Taronga Zoomobile
• Friday 31 December 2024 – Bop til you Drop Glitter Box Disco
• Friday 10 January 2025 – Solve the Mystery
• Tuesday 14 January 2025 – Egg Hatching Project
• Wednesday 15 January 2025 – Reach for the stars (JSA)
• Tuesday 21 January 2025 – Harry Potter Science
• Friday 24 January 2025 – Young Engineers Robo Bricks
• Wednesday 29 January 2025 – Chinese Ink Blowing Art (JSA)

Excursion list:

• Thursday 9 January 2025 – Laser Warriors
• Thursday 16 January 2025 – Scoopi Macquarie Centre
• Wednesday 22 January 2025 – ‘Paddington in Peru’ Event Cinemas Macquarie Centre
• Thursday 23 January 2025 – Macquarie University History Museum

Thank you for your interest in our Vacation Care program.  We have set up a waitlist for those families that are wanting days that are fully booked. There are 2 methods to get onto the waitlist.

Method 1:

Go to the TryBooking website and follow the Email link under Waitlist.

Method 2:

If you are looking for a day that has been fully booked for Vacation Care. Please Email cexp.waratah@mq.edu.au with the following layout:

Subject: Vacation Care Waitlist

Body:

Hi Waratah Team,

Can I please put my child/ren on the Vacation Care waitlist. I would like to be put on the waitlist for the following days:

- Monday the 17th of April 2023
-

My best contact details are:
Mobile:
Email:
Child/ren name:
-

Thank you

We provide all food on-site, so you should not be sending your child in with any food. As some children might have allergies, food is included in the ticket price.

Please bring the following:

1. Spare clothes (We like to get messy, there is a mud kitchen on-site, we sometimes do messy craft or have a water activities)
2. Appropriate clothes for the weather and programmed activities. i.e Jacket for the cold days, swimmers for days with water activities.
3. Sunscreen if you need to use a specific brand due to allergies.
4. Hat
5. Water bottle

Below are some commonly asked questions and the answers to them.

Where can I park?

There is plenty of parking around campus, however it does cost. Please refer Campus Parking Map.

FREE PARKING: for picking up and dropping off up to 30 minutes parking (out the front of the centre). Please follow the steps below:

Applying for 30 min Childcare Permit

How to register:

1. Browse to
   https://vpermit.com.au/mq
2. Click Register
3. Select Other from the Role dropdown box
4. Complete the registration, following all instructions

A confirmation email will be received, confirm account by clicking on the link.

How to apply for a permit:

1. Login to vPermit
2. Click on My Permits
3. Press Apply for a permit
4. Select Other Permit - Childcare Centre - 30 Minute Drop Off Zone
5. Confirm the permit activation

Where are you located?
We are located at a place called Waratah Cottage, which is located behind the cochlear building. The address is 11 University Ave, Macquarie Park NSW 2113

Do I bring food?
No, we do not allow food to be brought on-site as it could be a potential hazard to those with allergies. We provide all meals which has been included in the price of the day.

How do I get inside the building, or where is the front door?
To enter the building, you will need to go down the windy Accessible path. At the end of this path is two gates, one you will need the gate code to get through, this will be provided after you have been confirmed and booked into a session.  Once you have passed through the gate you will need to head down the long veranda space until you get to the end. On the right you will see the main door, you will need to you the door code to get through (this will also be provided upon booking in).  You will see me at reception, and I can show you how to sign in and were to drop of your children.

What happens if I can't come in for a scheduled day?
If you give us adequate (2 business' days notice) notice in writing we will not charge you for the day. If you do not give us the notice, then you will still be charged for the day even though you did not come.
Please think of other families, the more time you give us to cancel the day means we can let those families on the waitlist know the day has become available. This just helps those families plan for the holiday break as it can be stressful if everything is sold out.

How do I find out if extra days are available to book?
Please refer to the waitlist tab and email us the days you are after, we will call those on the waitlist when a day has become available.

What happens if my child or someone in my household gets COVID-19?
You will need to let us know ASAP, your child will not be able to attend.

Thank you for looking into Macquarie University's Vacation Care program. We are always looking out for ways to improve our service so please let us know, this could even include what additional information you might want added here.

Physical Access:

1. Two accessible parking spaces at the top of the ramp
2. Access is via the accessible ramp
3. Braille on the main sign to signify you are at the correct location
4. Handrails and tactile paving on the ramp.
5. Accessible bathroom on-site

Adjustments of Care:

We welcome everyone of different walks of life, if you would like to come to our centre, we want you to be here. As every person has different needs and requirements, we ask that you Contact us about any adjustments that would help ensure equal participation in Vacation Care.

1. Please contact us via phone 9850 4680 or Email CEXP.waratah@mq.edu.au or in person.
2. Opening this dialogue as soon as possible means we can work with you to find suitable adjustments. If for example you required extra support, with more notice we can ensure that we not only have the support but, if need be, can apply for the grants necessary to make that happen. This also means we can continue to prepare for future Vacation care programs to include the same adjustments in future planning.
3. We can organise to have you come prior to the program so that the space becomes familiar and safe prior to the program starting.

*Please send feedback through so that I can create a better website experience. i.e. information you would like to see here

For some photos, please click on the links below:

Front Entrance

Ramp with Tactile paving and handrails

Main Signage - 'you are here'

Accessible Bathroom

Macquarie University is committed to the welfare of children and staff in its care.

Children, staff and visitors who are unwell, including those with fever (37.5°C or higher), loss of taste, loss of smell, shortness of breath, cough, sore throat, or other symptoms of respiratory infection, should not attend Vacation Care. Staff will ask parents to collect children who appear unwell while attending Vacation Care and seek further medical attention if appropriate.

We are incorporating additional measures to ensure the health and wellbeing of staff and students.

These include:

• modifications to the program to allow for increased physical distancing
• ensuring only providers with COVID Safe plans are considered for incursions and excursions
• increased cleaning throughout the day
• encouraging the increase in handwashing and/or use of hand sanitiser

A full refund will be provided in the event that the University cancels Vacation Care after bookings have been accepted.

Refer to the NSW Health website and the Macquarie University COVID-19 webpage for more information.

The University remains open and operating as usual, albeit with heightened awareness for the need for precautionary hygiene measures. We will continue to monitor the advice from both the Federal Government and NSW Health and will provide updates as necessary.

Campus Life is committed to the safety, wellbeing and empowerment of all children and young people engaging in our programs and to protect them from foreseeable harm.

Campus Life treats all allegations and complaints about the safety and wellbeing of children seriously and is committed to ensuring that its staff, volunteers, and contractors understand the legal obligations to report child abuse and neglect to government authorities. Every Campus Life employee has a responsibility to understand the important and specific role they play, individually and collectively, to ensure that the wellbeing and safety of all children and young people is at the forefront of all they do.

We have a duty of care to ensure that only authorised persons pick up children each day. Authorised persons are parents and emergency contacts as specified in Hubworks.

Where staff are not familiar with the adult/s collecting any child, they will ask to see photo identification. The name on the identification must match the name/s we have in Hubworks before a child is released into their care.

Please understand that for the safety of your child we cannot let you pick up a child without evidence of identity.

Refer to the Children Services’ Fee Policy for more information.

Withdrawal from care/change in booked days

Due to the short-term nature of Vacation Care, generally, no refunds will be provided for a change in the number of days or withdrawal from care. Exceptions to this include for exceptional circumstances, or when there is a waiting list for the day/s being cancelled, or with two business days’ notice in writing.

Absent on last day/s

Childcare subsidy can be difficult to navigate. One issue is the 14-weeks automatically unenrolled (we do not control this). If you are unenrolled and have any absence at the end of your enrolment. The Childcare Subsidy will be revoked up to the last day of attendance. Therefore, it is important to attend on your last day or provide us with the correct cancelation notice. Approved cancelled days will not be submitted as absent / attended but removed from your enrolment. If you have concerns, call the centre prior to your last day of attendance.

At the Centre Manager’s discretion, an additional charge may apply to families who pick up their child after the program has closed. This fee is $15 for the first 15 minutes or part thereof after closing and then an additional $30 for every subsequent 15 minutes or part thereof.

The family will be made aware of the possible charge on the day of the late collection and will receive confirmation the next day as to whether the amount will/will not be added to the next account.