Enrolment Process.

START YOUR JOURNEY

We’d love to welcome you and your child into the Sparrow family, where young minds take flight! Our simple enrolment process helps you get to know our centres, educators and the Sparrow Way so you can feel confident every step of your childcare journey.

Step 1

Child Care Subsidy (CCS).

In the first year of life, infant’s brains form over a million neural connections every second. They learn through every touch, sound, sight, and movement. Their bodies are rapidly growing, which means they need responsive care, balanced nutrition, and plenty of rest.

Our educators nurture these needs with calm rhythms, secure attachments, and gentle invitations to explore, laying the foundation for language, motor skills, and emotional wellbeing.

How to apply for CCS

Qualify for Child Care Subsidy (CCS)

1. Meet Residency and Immunisation Criteria

You meet the Australian residency rules
Your child must meet immunisation requirements and not be attending secondary school unless an exemption applies.
Pay fees at an approved childcare centre

2. Complete an activity test/family income estimate.

You meet the Australian residency rules
Your child must meet immunisation requirements and not be attending secondary school unless an exemption applies.
Pay fees at an approved childcare centre

3. Specify Additional Support

Some families may be eligible for additional subsidy benefits. Eligibility criteria includes:

Being a grandparent, where they are the primary carer
Experiencing financial hardship that is of a temporary nature
Transitioning to work
Caring for a vulnerable or at-risk child.
For further information, please refer to ACCS Information.

Applying for CCS is simple.

You can apply online through your myGov account linked to Centrelink. Have your birth certificate ready and follow the instructions below:

Apply for your customer reference number (CRN) from Centrelink if you don’t already have one.
Create a myGov account if you don’t already have one.
Once signed in, go to Centrelink > Payments and claims > Make a Claim > Families > Child Care Subsidy.
Complete your Child Care Subsidy assessment, then make a claim. This can take up to 6 weeks.
Once approved, you will receive a CRN for your child and the subsidy will be paid directly to your child care provider

Note: The parent who applies for CCS must be the one to complete the enrolment form as both the parent and child CRNs are required.

Step 2

Find Your Nearest Centre & Book a Tour.

Once you have found your local Sparrow Early Learning centre, we encourage you and your child to join us to get a feel for our team and our environment. Call us on 1300 441 441, where staff will inform you of current availability, or select your preferred date on your chosen Sparrow childcare centre page.

In order to book a tour, please have an idea of your preferred start date and days of care.

Step 3

Join us for your tour.

Welcome to Sparrow! Once you arrive at your local Sparrow Early Learning centre, inform a staff member at the front desk that you are here to take a tour and our friendly staff will be happy to introduce Sparrow to you and show you around our beautiful centre.

Not sure what to ask on the day?

Get to know our educators

Who will be caring for my child?
What experience do your educators have?
How long have your educators been here?
What’s the educator-to-child ratio?

Understand a day in the life at Sparrow

What does a typical day look like?
How is the day structured?
What learning approach do you follow?
What kinds of meals and snacks do you provide?

Learn about our family connection

How do we stay connected?
How often do you share updates?
How do I raise questions or concerns?
Do you use Storypark or a family app?

Discover The Sparrow Way

What does this centre value?
How do you support wellbeing?
What are your safety procedures?
How do you welcome all families?

View the Discover Guide

After the tour, if you are ready to enrol, our staff will confirm your desired day(s) and start date and send you an enrolment offer by email. If you need more time to consider your enrolment, you can call or email at any time to ask further questions, join our waitlist or respond to our previous communications when you’re ready. One of our Family Engagement team members will be in touch to follow up your interest within a few days. Now is a good time to ensure you have applied for CCS and your child’s immunisation is up to date.

STEP 4

Your enrolment offer has been sent.

After your tour, and if your service has availability an offer of enrolment will be sent via email, which comes from Kangaroo Time. The offer will remain valid for 14 days. If we have not received a response within a week, we will be in touch just to check in and answer any further questions you may have.

This is the perfect time to book a ‘Stay & Play’.

Step 5

Enrol with Sparrow.

Once your offer has been accepted, you will be redirected to the enrolment form to complete so give yourself some time to do this.

What you will need to complete this step

Child’s Birth Certificate
Photo ID (for authorised additional / emergency contacts)
Up to date AIR Immunisation History Statement (according to your state) this can be found in MyGov
Your CRN (ie. the parent/guardian who completed the CCS claim)
Childs CRN
Any relevant copies of family law or other court Orders, parenting plans and/or legal documents.
Any relevant Medical Documents (Eg. Asthma Plans / Allergy Action Plans)
Your Bank Details

Step 6

Welcome to Sparrow.

You will receive correspondence from Sparrow to prepare for care. Once your enrolment is complete, you will receive a request from MyGov to confirm enrolment, a compulsory step that must be completed before your child’s start date in order to receive child care subsidy CCS (if applicable).

What’s included in our welcome kit?

Family Handbook
Invite to book a Stay & Play.
Child Profile Form(this is to help educators understand your child’s routine, family information, skills & abilities, developmental needs, culture & language and generally assist in transitioning into care).
Dietary Requirements Form.
Invitation to join Kangaroo Time (this is how you sign your child in / out & view statement / update any enrolment details).
Invitation to join Storypark (This is where you’ll view updates on your child’s day).
Invitation to download ChildcareNow (This is how you can mark your child absent, or book additional casual days).
Door Code for your local Sparrow childcare centre.

Step 7

Prepare for your first day.

Prepare for your child’s first day at Sparrow by packing a backpack with essentials that your child will need to make their first day great. Please ensure all belongings are labelled with your child’s full name.

What to bring.

Things to bring in your child’s backpack:

Hat (wide brim)
Water bottle
Bed sheets/blanket
Milk bottles (If applicable)
Formula (Measured out)
Breast milk (If applicable, please label with date milk expressed. If supply was frozen, please label the date it was frozen and defrosted).
2 changes of clothes & underwear
Nappies (WA centres only)
Nappy cream, lotions & medications (Please note these must have a pharmacy label with your child’s name, DOB, directions of use and expiry date).
Dummies (If applicable)
Comforter (Children are welcome to bring a comforter for their transition period, however due to Australian Sleep Regulations, children sleeping in cots are unable to sleep with them).

Please ensure all belongings are labelled with your child’s full name.

Step 8

A day in the life at Sparrow.

We understand putting your child in care for the first time can be daunting and you’ll be wondering how they’re going throughout the day. You are more than welcome to call the service at any time to check in or view the Storypark app for an update on their routine at any time.

BEGIN YOUR SPARROW JOURNEY

Ready to get started?

Book a tour to learn more about what makes each Sparrow Early Learning centre unique.