Frequently asked questions
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Find answers to some of the questions you might have…
Before & after school care
Our programme teams send someone to pick up new children from their classrooms until they are confident to do it on their own. We recommend you text our onsite teams to let them know your child is new and what their room number is before their first day.
All programmes qualify to receive an OSCAR Subsidy. Families can apply through Work and Income New Zealand. To find out more about the OSCAR Subsidy and to check if you might qualify, visit our OSCAR Subsidy page.
Our teams undertake behaviour guidance training to be well equipped to help children in any situation. We put Supporting Positive Behaviour Plans in place, which will involve the child, parent/caregiver, and sKids Programme Manager. A team effort ensures the child is prepared for the development and improvement in behaviour.
If your child requires medication or has allergies our teams should be aware of, please ensure you add all the necessary details on the safety form when you make a booking. Any medication you give permission for our teams to administer or your child to self-administer will be logged and tracked for you.
After a 5 minute grace period, we charge $1 per minute for late pick ups. Short sessions will be automatically charged at the longer session if the time exceeds 15 minutes.
We will never leave a child alone and unattended. If your child is not picked up within 5 minutes of the programme closing, we will call parents/caregivers and emergency contacts. If we can’t reach any contacts within an hour of the programme closing, the Programme Manager/Franchise Owner will call the police and Oranga Tamariki for advice
During the school term, there are different requirements depending on the school. Some sites may offer pickups/drop-offs for nearby schools. Please contact your local sKids team to find out more.
Holiday programmes
Yes! Any child aged 5 – 13 can join our sKids Holiday Programmes. Your child can attend most sKids programmes across the country. There may be schools that don’t allow outside students, please contact your local sKids to confirm.
Even if your child attends a sKids during the school term, you are welcome to go to another sKids for the holidays, to help mix things up and see new environments.
For any days onsite, we have a 1:15 ratio at all times.
On trip days out in our community, our ratio will depend on what the activity is and whether it was held in an open or closed environment and how much support the children need to complete the activity. The ratio would either be 1:8 or 1:10.
Higher risk activities such as swimming, requires more supervision, so we have a 1:6 ratio.
If your child requires medication or has allergies our teams should be aware of, please ensure you add all the necessary details on the safety form when you make a booking. Any medication you give permission for our teams to administer or your child to self-administer will be logged and tracked for you.
After a 5 minute grace period, we charge $1 per minute for late pick ups. Short sessions will be automatically charged at the longer session if the time exceeds 15 minutes.
We will never leave a child alone and unattended. If your child is not picked up within 15 minutes of the programme closing, we will call parents/caregivers and emergency contacts. If we can’t reach any contacts within an hour of the programme closing, the Programme Manager/Franchise Owner will call the police and Oranga Tamariki for advice..
Please contact your local sKids team before you enrol if your child has a disability or a special need. The more information you supply to us, the better informed and prepared we are able to be in providing effective and adequate care for your child.
The ability of any particular programme to accommodate the needs of your child will be determined by the requirements of your child, the facilities available, and qualifications and availability of staff associated with that particular programme.
We are proud that in most cases we can accommodate a variety of needs. Please be aware that a trial period may be required for assessment purposes; this will be done jointly by the sKids Centre Manager/Franchise Owner to ensure that your childs’ needs are being met adequately.
Our staff undergo a recruitment process that involves an in-depthinterview, reference checks and police checks. Prior to working, and on an ongoing basis, we require the completion of training courses in sKids Induction, First aid, Health and Safety, Child Protection, Behaviour Management and Food Safety.
Our fees vary at each sKids site, please visit our locations page, and find the activity you’d like to know more about.
Each programme is qualified to receive an OSCAR Subsidy. Qualifying families can apply through Work and Income New Zealand. To find out more on the OSCAR Subsidy and to check if you might qualify, visit our OSCAR Subsidy page.
Please pack morning tea, lunch, drink bottle and hat for your child. We provide afternoon tea everyday, and occasionally enjoy a treat for the end of term/holidays and cooking days.
During colder seasons, please pack a jumper/jacket.
*We advise to avoid bringing any toys, devices and any other special items, as we have many games, toys and activities for your child to play with everyday
OSCAR subsidy
Work and Income’s Out of School Care and Recreation (OSCAR) subsidy is a payment that helps you with the cost of Before and After School Care as well as the cost of School Holiday Programmes. If you’re eligible, you can claim up to 20 hours per week for Before and After School Care and up to 50 hours per week for School Holiday Programmes.
We’ll work with you and your local Work and Income office to make sure that the process of applying for and receiving an OSCAR subsidy is straightforward and stress-free.
You can get up to 20 hours during term time and up to 50 hours during school holidays.
How much you get depends on:
- the size of your family
- your income
- how many hours a week your child goes to the childcare provider.
If you don’t know how many hours of care you’ll need each week (eg, you’re a casual or on-call worker) we’ll talk with you about your options when you apply.
Payments would be made directly to sKids and start from the date the care starts (or from the date you apply if you apply after it starts).
To give you an idea of the payments, check out the OSCAR Subsidy income threshold table
To receive your OSCAR subsidy from the day your child starts the programme, you need to submit your application to us at least 3-4 weeks before your child’s first day. This is especially important in school holidays.
To find out more information regarding the OSCAR Subsidy, please visit the pages below.
How do I make a booking?
1
Find your local sKids Programme on our LOCATIONS page, then click BOOK HERE at the top of their page for bookings available at that site.
2
Click on the activity you’d like to book, select the days and sessions and click ‘Next: Add Attendees’
3
Add your and your child’s details, and complete the safety form before their first day at sKids
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We operate throughout New Zealand
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