Understanding the Child Care Management System (CCMS)
The new Child Care Management System (CCMS)
Families and childcare service providers know leaving your children in care and heading off to work can be heart-wrenching. But technology is helping to bridge the gap, keeping children and their families connected even when they’re apart. The Child Care Management System (CCMS) has played an essential role in helping shape the new era of Australian childcare.
Far from being just another computer program, the Child Care Management System (CCMS) links with specialist third-party software to provide an interactive virtual connection to the childcare experience.
The CCMS is designed to administer childcare subsidies from the federal government. It operates as part of an online, nationwide framework. All approved childcare services must operate through the CCMS. Just as there are several different accounting software programs for your business needs, there are various approved CCMS software providers.
Specialist childcare software pairs with CCMS to record child enrolment and attendance information. Programs like Xplor Education’s Office go beyond this, providing documentation of children’s daily activities, detailed medical records and benefits like real-time communication between services and families. Each childcare service has its own CCMS administrator, who must upload these records to the CCMS via the Internet. The Department of Education and Training uses this information to help calculate the Child Care Benefit (CCB) fee paid to the service on behalf of eligible families.
How to use the Child Care Management System (CCMS)
The federal government offers a series of fact sheets for childcare operators new to the CCMS.
However, what is most important to know is that help is at hand.
The CCMS administrator must be aware of relevant legislation under Commonwealth Family Assistance Law. This includes appropriate record keeping regarding attendance at childcare, along with fee discounting and subsidies for families.
But much of this information is available in the Child Care Service Handbook, a helpful reference tool for working through the CCMS application.
The handbook offers guidelines to all Child Care Subsidy (CCS) approved childcare services using CCMS. Divided into two parts, the handbook first outlines the federal government’s policy framework and rules for claiming Child Care Support.
The second section of the handbook focuses on managing childcare subsidies and rebates.
It is well worth familiarising yourself with the rules and regulations in the guidebook before embarking on your CCMS application.
The CCMS Helpdesk is also available on 1300 667 276 or via email at ccshelpdesk@education.gov.au to approved Child Care Subsidy (CCS) service providers.
The Child Care Management System (CCMS) registration process for childcare centre operators
From July 2, 2018, the Child Care Subsidy (CCS) will replace the Child Care Benefit and Child Care rebate. This means that new childcare providers seeking CCS approval must first register with the CCMS in order to be able to claim subsidy payments. As of April 2018, childcare operators will be able to lodge an online submission via an internet portal to become accredited for CCS approval.
The government portal is known as the Provider Entry Point (PEP). You can use it to communicate with the Department of Education and Training about CCMS applications. You can also submit any additional information deemed necessary to further an application. (Note: to access PEP, you must first register with Provider Digital Access (PRODA))
Applications will be assessed in line with eligibility requirements.
The Family Assistance Law does not define a timeframe in which the department must make an approval decision. There is also no guaranteed approval for applications.
Given that many families make use of childcare rebates to cover the cost of childcare, it is worth operators taking the time to register sooner, rather than later, for the CCMS.
How Xplor Education gives childcare providers the edge on the CCMS
Technology is everywhere in our everyday lives. But using the right technology, in the right way, can often be a struggle for the uninitiated.
Too often, paperwork gets in the way of educators’ most important work—teaching and caring for our children. As the future of tomorrow, children need all the quality care that we can offer today.
Which is where Xplor Education comes into play.
Xplor Education’s new generation of technology in the childcare sector has revitalised how educators and operators deliver childcare services, offering significant savings of time and operational costs.
Xplor can help keep busy families connected to your childcare service, wherever they are and whatever they’re doing. Likewise, the revolutionary software can take the pressure off CCMS administrators, giving early childhood educators more time to focus on implementing and improving long day care, family day care, preschool or kindergarten and outside schools hours care (OSHC) services, as per the National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education and Care.
Xplor Education is ready to help with all of your CCMS questions.
Contact us today to learn how Xplor Education helps streamline admin with automated CCS submissions.
