School Holiday Program

We’ll keep your children active and engaged during the school holidays!

• SUITABLE FOR PRIMARY SCHOOL AGE.  Children attending primary school in 2024 can attend as of 01/01/24.

• WE ARE A GOVERNMENT APPROVED EDUCATION AND CARE SERVICE.  CHILD CARE SUBSIDY APPLIES.

CLICK HERE to go to straight to ‘How to Book’ information.

“My twins recently attended the school holiday program at Healthways. I wanted to express my thanks to all the staff, for making this a great experience. It is so good to be able to find a program that covers so many fun activities. Bowling and Art were their absolute favourites! The twins loved it and are already planning their next school holidays. Thanks again for all your work and effort in making this a fabulous programme.”

“I just wanted to send a big thank you to everyone associated with today’s school holiday program, in the mad dash to ensure everything was collected I forgot to personally thank anyone! My daughter thoroughly enjoyed herself and we will indeed be returning next school holidays!”

“The best holiday program in Melbourne.”

What great fun your children will have with our activities! You can book your child in every day knowing they will be involved in educational, engaging and fun activities every time they’re with us!

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TOP 9 REASONS TO COME TO HEALTHWAYS HOLIDAY PROGRAM:

1. There’s 6 activity sessions every day!  Your children will never be bored.  There’s 3 activities in the morning and 3 activities in the afternoon.  The groups rotate through the day’s activities, so children participate in all 6 activity sessions over the course of the day.
2. We have an industry leading staff ratio of 1:10.  We roster extra staff so that we can run complex and interesting activities for the kids.
3. Your children won’t be on screens.  The School Holiday Program is free from electronic devices. You won’t see the children sitting in front of a screen. You’ll see them running around, talking to each other, being creative, problem solving, improving their gross and fine motor skills, and participating in fun activities.
4. The activities are all on-site.  You don’t need to worry about getting on and off buses, missing drop-off times, or kids being in unknown locations.  We have access to fantastic and varied facilities all onsite; And you can drop-off and/or pick-up at any time of the day.
5. There’s never any transport costs.  You don’t need to pay extra for buses to get to an interesting location.  We ARE the interesting location!
6. There’s educational outcomes in the activities every day.  Each day has a theme attached to it.  We have science days, drama days, geography days, sports days, and so much more!  You can book your children in every day knowing that they’re going to interesting and varied educational activities.
7. If you’re attending the holiday program, we can take the children to their swimming lessons each day.  Healthways’ award winning Swim School runs Intensive Swimming Lessons over the school holidays.  You can use your holidays to learn swimming too!
8. Your children can be with their friends.  If you’ve got friends that want a catch up in the holidays, you can spend the day together having lots of fun! Or come on your own and make friends on the day!
9. You’ll have quality time at home.  Parents can rest assured that the kids will be having a fun day while you’re at work, or doing whatever you need to do in your day.  We’ll look after the kids so you can all have quality time together at home in the evenings.

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COME HAVE A PLAY DATE AT HEALTHWAYS!
If you’ve got friends that want a catch up in the holidays, you can spend the day together having lots of fun!  Or come on your own and make friends on the day!

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Activities:

The children will be kept active and engaged with activities all day. Each day has a theme attached to it, where the activities on the day relate to a particular concept. Across the program, we try to provide a range of pursuits to encourage the next generation of emotionally intelligent, inquisitive, healthy, and caring humans.

There are 6 activity sessions every day – 3 activities in the morning and 3 activities in the afternoon. The groups rotate through the day’s activities, so children participate in all 6 activity sessions over the course of the day.

We hope you and the children enjoy the range of activities we organise!  We have lots of fun putting the ideas together and giving the children a variety of experiences!

We have a large range of facilities and activities that are all ON-SITE, and all INCLUDED in the price, including:

• Ten Pin Bowling – It’s exciting to roll the balls at the 10 pins and see them tumble.
• Art & craft – Lots of great things to make. Sticking, pasting, cutting, painting, sewing, plaiting, folding… a huge range of things to make and do.
• Swimming – (Optional) A fun time splashing in the heated pool, under the supervision of our qualified swimming instructors.
• Science Experiments – Mixing, attaching, touching, constructing and watching what happens when you mix ‘X’ with ‘Y’.
• Educational Themes – Being curious about geography, history and fact searching is encouraged through fun activities and theme days.  Asking questions, educational games, trivia quiz’s, dress ups, making themed art, and group problem solving all help to encourage interest in the world around us.
• Special Workshops – We organise special activities incl. gymnastics, martial arts, drama, dance and art. Join our instructors for extra fun in their chosen fields.
• Special Incursions – Some days we organise special incursions, incl. language lessons, discos, etc.
• Building Cubby-houses – Put your child’s architectural and construction ability to the test as we make the most elaborate cubby houses imaginable.
• Outdoor Activities & Games – We go to the oval and sports grounds at Mont Albert Reserve (140 metres away) to play different games like cricket, football, soccer, races, obstacle courses, chasey, frisbee and more! (Weather permitting.)
• Ball Games – Volleyball, basketball, netball, poison ball, tunnel ball, silent ball, crab ball, hand ball, ball relays, and more!
• Racquet Games – We have equipment for table tennis, badminton & mini-court tennis.
• Cooking – The children get in the kitchen and measure, pour, stir, blend, spread and knead to make edible delights, such as fruit sculptures, pancakes, pizzas, wraps and more!
• Board Games – Mountains of games & puzzle fun.
• Structured Play – We have heaps of games up our sleeve to keep the children engaged. And we’re always adding more!
• Dress ups – What child can resist dressing up? We have collected a splendid variety of outfits to delight every child.
• Writing and Performing plays – We have created wonderful plays scripted and performed by your children using the props and costumes in the activities room.
• And lots more!!!

What don’t we have?:

• TV, Computer games, XBox, and other electronic devices.
• The School Holiday Program is free from electronic devices. You won’t see the children sitting in front of a screen, and you won’t see them bored. You’ll see them running around, talking to each other, being creative, problem solving, improving their gross and fine motor skills, and participating in fun activities.

The aim of the program:

Our number 1 rule is “everyone wants to have fun!”.

The holidays are a time for kids to break-free from routine and have a good time. We aim to help them make friends, participate, stay active, and learn skills in communication, teamwork, creative thinking, problem solving, gross motor skills and fine motor skills.

Photo Gallery from previous School Holidays:

Here’s some photos from previous school holidays to give you an idea of the variety and fun that the children have with us.

CLICK HERE for more holidays archives and photo galleries.

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(An Optional Extra) Holiday Swim Lessons

Heathways’ award winning Swim School also runs swimming lessons during the school holidays.  Did you know that if you’re attending the Holiday Program at Mont Albert North we can take the children to their swimming lesson each day!

Use your holidays to learn swimming too! Classes run in the mornings. This allows your children to consolidate and build on their swimming skills every day.

• Max. 4 students in group classes!
• 3yrs-School Age levels!
• Private lessons also available!

Enrol at reception by phoning 98952300 or CLICK HERE to log into the swim school client portal and book online.

CLICK HERE for more information about swimming lessons.

(Note: Swimming lessons and the School Holiday Program are booked via different software solutions. Please book them in separately and on the day just let the holiday program know that you’re attending swimming lessons too.  Easy!)

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Upcoming School Holiday Program Info  –  April 2024 Holidays:

Bookings open:

• Mon 02/02/24.  CLICK HERE for ‘How to book’ information.

Program dates:

• Tues 02/04/24 – Fri 05/04/24
• Mon 08/04/24 – Fri 12/04/24

Accounts reconciled with Centrelink, and balances paid:

• Tues 23/04/24

Theme calendar:

• CLICK HERE for the theme calendar for the April 2024 holidays.

Notes: 

Please note the following general extra info in the times of COVID:

• Ventillation:
  • We’ve had the ventilation in the whole building tested.  Every room in the main building has it’s own 100% fresh air ventilation, including the offices. At 80% the air turns over every 2.5 minutes, at 30% the air turns over every 5 minutes. The Art & Craft room is ventilated by opening windows and doors to outside.
  • We’ve gone this extra mile to provide extra confidence to our Healthways community.
  • Please make sure the children have warm clothes with them each day so that ventilation can be maximised.
• Face-coverings:
  • Whilst it is not mandated, it is still recommended to wear a face-mask indoors in certain circumstances. We kindly ask that parents and children wear face-masks where recommended.
• We will be ensuring regular hand cleaning and reducing the amount of shared equipment in the program.  As such, could you please bring with you for personal use:
  • A pencil case, with any textas/pencils/scissors/glue stick that the children might like to use in Art & Craft sessions.
  • Any small toys, that the children might like to play with during social grouping time (ie. 7.45-9.00am & 4.30-6.00pm) while students are being dropped off and picked up.
• As per all previous communications since the beginning of COVID-19, we would like to continue to reassure all clients that we will honour any services you have paid for. In the event that you book, and then your student tests positive for COVID within 7 days of your booking, we will give you a full credit for any holiday program bookings you have paid for. Credits may be used for any services in the future. For cancellations due to other reasons, the normal cancellation policies will apply as normal. Thank you.

We look forward to showing the children a good time these holiday.

Price:

There are NO EXTRA CHARGES. Included in the above prices are ALL ACTIVITY COSTS, ALL SPECIAL EVENTS/THEMES/INCURSIONS and ALL MATERIALS for the daily Art and Craft sessions.

• Claiming the ‘Child Care Subsidy’ (CCS):  When you book a day at the holiday program you’ll pay a deposit upfront, of up to $30/day.  (Where Centrelink estimates that your out-of-pocket fee is going to be less than $30/day, you’ll only pay the estimated amount at the time of booking.)  Over the course of the holidays we submit your attendances to Centrelink. Centrelink calculates your applicable CCS and applies it to your holiday program account.  On your enrolment form there is a place for you to fill in your CRN details to claim CCS.  Every day we send your enrolments to Centrelink.  Once you have approved your enrolments at Centrelink via your MyGov account, Centrelink will apply your CCS.  At the end of the holidays, if your CCS doesn’t cover the balance of the day’s fee, the remainder will be charged to the payment method on file.  Payments are processed on the second Thursday after the end of the holidays.  If your CCS covers more than the balance of the day’s fee, the surplus will remain as credit on your account and can be used towards any future bookings. You will be emailed invoices detailing any CCS payments that Centrelink has made for your children.  For more information from Centrelink about CCS, go to https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/child-care-subsidy.
• A note about CCS and Absences on the first or last day of your enrolment:  Please note that as part of the new CCS rules, legislated in July 2023, Centrelink will cover more CCS for more people.  This is very welcome for working parents!  However, please note that as part of the new rules, if you are absent on the first or last day of your enrolment, Centrelink will not pay any CCS for that day.  This is a rule that the industry has argued needs to change, but it has now been legislated.  If you are going to be absent on the first or last day of your enrolment and you want to claim CCS, you do need to come in to the centre and sign-in and sign-out such that you then either then don’t have an absence or that your absence is not on the first or last day of your enrolment.  If this applies to you, please contact us and we’ll do our best to help you navigate this rule.  For more information from Centrelink about the rules around absences, go to: https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/child-care-subsidy-if-your-child-absent-from-child-care?context=41186.

To enrol:

• There are 2 easy ways to enrol:
  • On-line from home (by clicking on the link below), including making secure on-line payment with credit card – When you pay online with credit card you only pay a deposit of $30.00 per day.  At the end of the holidays your account is reconciled with Centrelink.  Any remaining balance will be charged to the credit card that made payment.
  • Or you can come in to the centre to complete the on-line enrolment form and make payment over the counter – When you pay over the counter you pay the full fee for the day upfront.  At the end of the holidays your account is reconciled with Centrelink.  Any amount that has been overpaid will be refunded to you by EFT into your nominated bank account.

CLICK HERE to go to the ‘How to Book’ information.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

What you need to know:

• Eligibility to attend: As per the national regulations, children can attend vacation care as of 1st January in the calendar year that they are attending primary school OR once they have turned 6 years old.
• Enrolment: Children should be enrolled as soon as possible prior to the day of attending. Late enrolment is subject to availability.
• Time of program: The earliest drop-off is 7.45am, and the latest pick-up is 6.00pm.  The structured part of the day’s activities run 9.00am-4.30pm.  At drop-off and pick-up times (ie. 7.45-9.00am and 4.30-6.00pm), there are activity areas set up and the children can have social grouping and free play.
• Signing in & out: Children MUST be signed in at reception each day upon arrival and MUST also be signed out each day when picked up.
• Authorised collection: Children can only be collected by people authorised in your enrolment form.  Mobile phone identification and/or photo identification needs to be presented at collection time as proof of identity.  Please note: if you forget your mobile phone or photo ID, it can cause significant delays to collection.  If identity cannot be established we cannot hand-over a child.  So please remember your mobile phone and/or photo ID.
• The Leaders: All the leaders are experienced in working with children and have all their required qualifications. There are a number of staff roles each day to ensure the days run smoothly.  All sessions are staffed with ‘Educators’, plus there are additional ‘Educator Assistant’ roles to help as needed during the day.  All pool sessions are supervised by qualified swimming instructors.
• Theme Days: Each day has a theme attached to it, where the activities on the day relate to a particular concept.  Across the program, we try to provide a range of pursuits to encourage the next generation of modern renaissance boys and girls.  “The term Renaissance person is used for a very clever person who is good at many different things.”  Every 2 week period we try to include 2 x ‘Science’ theme days, 2 x ‘Humanities’ theme days, 1 x ‘Sports’ theme day, 1 x ‘Arts’ theme day, 4 x ‘Open Theme’ days.  We hope you and the children enjoy the range of activities we organise! We have lots of fun putting the ideas together and welcome your feedback and input.  If you have any suggestions for themes please email us at healthways@healthways.com.au.  See the ‘Program Dates’ section above for this holiday’s theme calendar.
• Medications: If your child requires medication, we are obliged to follow the national regulations for child care.  So, please: Make sure the medication is clearly labelled with your child’s name; Supply clear written instructions on use, which must be from a medical professional – this can be the pharmacy label; If it is medication for allergy/anaphylaxis/asthma/diabetes, your instructions on use MUST be a copy of your action plan; Place the medicine and instructions/action plan in a plastic bag with your name on it; Hand the bag in to reception at the beginning of each day. Please note that all medication, including Asthma inhalers, MUST NOT be left in your child’s bag. They need to be handed in to reception at the beginning of each day, where it is easily and quickly accessible in the case of an emergency. Thank you.  CLICK HERE for a copy of our Medical Management Policy.
• Lunch Orders: Lunch orders can be placed by writing the order on a paper bag and placing money inside the bag. Please hand in at reception by 10.30am. CLICK HERE for copy of the menu.
• Sickness: If your child is ill, please use the same guidelines and common sense applicable with any children’s activity and keep your child at home. We don’t want our leaders to fall ill, nor any of the other children.
• Claiming the ‘Child Care Subsidy’ (CCS): When you book a day at the holiday program, you pay a maximum of $30/day deposit. Over the course of the holidays we submit your attendances to Centrelink. Centrelink calculates your applicable CCS and applies it to your holiday program account.
• On your enrolment form there is a place for you to fill in your CRN details to claim CCS.  Every day we send your enrolments to Centrelink.  Once you have approved your enrolments at Centrelink via your MyGov account, Centrelink will apply your CCS.
• At the end of the holidays, if your CCS doesn’t cover the balance of the day’s fee, the remainder will be charged to the payment method on file. If your CCS covers more than the balance of the day’s fee, the surplus will remain as credit on your account and can be used towards any future bookings. You will be emailed invoices detailing any CCS payments that Centrelink has made for your children.
• For more information about how CCS works, please see the information from the Australian Government at https://www.humanservices.gov.au/individuals/services/centrelink/child-care-subsidy.
• End of holidays PARTY: Traditionally, in addition to all the normal fun activities the children do in the program, on the last day of the school holidays the children enrolled on that day have a party! Including bowling with the ‘Glow in the dark’/Disco lights on.  GREAT FUN!

What to bring:

• Clothing:
  • Socks & Closed-in shoes
  • Bathers, towel & goggles (Optional)
  • On sunny days (and all days Sept-April):  Sun Hat, Sunscreen & Clothing that covers the shoulders
  • On cold days:  Jumper and warm clothes to wear outdoors
• Food:
  • NO NUTS OR NUT PRODUCTS – WE HAVE CHILDREN ATTENDING THE CENTRE THAT ARE AT SEVERE RISK OF ANAPHYLAXIS!
  • Morning play lunch
  • Lunch / Lunch order (CLICK HERE for lunch order menu)
  • Afternoon play lunch
  • Water bottle
• Maximum $3.50 to spend at the canteen (optional)
• Any small toys or pencil case, that the children might like to play with during social grouping time (ie. 7.45-9.00am & 4.30-6.00pm) while students are being dropped off and picked up.
• Any personal requirements, eg. Medication, medical condition action plan, face mask.

Forget something?:

We’re parents too and we know that life is busy!!  So if you’ve forgotten something we have done our best to organise options to be available on the day for your child.  For example:

• Forget your socks? Children need socks so that they can go bowling.  We have socks available for purchase from the bowling area for $4.00.
• Forget your lunch? We have lunch orders available.  Order at reception in the morning when you drop-off.
• Forget your towel? We have towels available for purchase from the swim shop for $10.00.
• Forget your drink bottle? We have drinks available for purchase from the fridge at reception for $3.00.
• If you’ve forgotten something else, let us know and we’ll try to help!

Any items supplied to your child during the day will simply be added to your family invoice and paid at the end of the holidays.  No worries.

Absences, Cancellations, Swapping days and Refund policy:

Depending on how much notice you give of absence/cancellation, there is a sliding scale of applicable fees. Centrelink allocates 42 approved absent days of Child Care Subsidy (CCS) per child per year for these days. If you want to swap from one day to another, please cancel the day you no longer want and enrol in the day you now want.

• Where there is 0-2 days notice: No amount is able to be written-off the daily fee.
• Where there is 3-5 days notice: $48.00 is written-off the daily fee, leaving $47.90.
• Where there is 6-7 days notice: $58.00 is written-off the daily fee, leaving $37.90.
• Where there is 8-9 days notice: $67.00 is written-off the daily fee, leaving $28.90.
• Where there is 10-13 days notice: $86.00 is written-off the daily fee, leaving $9.90.
• Where there is 14+ days notice: the entire daily fee is written off, leaving $0.00.

Booking deposit amounts paid at the time of booking are non-refundable, but are transferrable. Any funds that remain in credit may be used towards future bookings.

Other interesting things about the program:

• Previous Holiday Archives:
  • This is a collection of wrap-ups and photos from previous holidays.
  • Each day staff fill in reflections from their day.  What worked well?  What could have been done differently?  After each holiday period we have de-brief’s and put plans and goals together to address these reflections and keep the program evolving and developing.
  • There’s also some photos from previous holidays to give you an idea of what the children do with us.  Most photos are from afar as we’ve selected photos where individual children cannot be identified.  But it’ll give you a good idea of the variety and fun that the children have.  🙂
• Forms:
  • ‘How to Book’ Information – Use this page to set yourself up with a Parent Portal and complete an enrolment form.
  • Change of details – If your child’s details have changed please email details of any changes to healthways@healthways.com.au, or you can complete another enrolment form using the link in the ‘How to Book’ information page.

Any other questions?  Email us at healthways@healthways.com.au.  See you soon!

Thank you for supporting local excellence.

Healthways is 100% locally owned, operated, and staffed.
We have got behind the ‘Support Local’ movement with our suppliers and community, and thank you for doing the same with us.
We set a high industry leading standard for the quality of our programs, and look forward to being a valued member of your family’s community too.