4402.0 - Child Care, Australia, Jun 2002  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 16/05/2003   
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Additional formal care
Additional formal care required in the last four weeks for children already using formal care, and formal care required in the last four weeks for children who did not currently use any.

Approved care
Care provided in a service which has been approved to receive Child Care Benefit payments on the parents behalf. Most long day care, family day care, before and/or after school care, vacation and some in-home and occasional care providers are approved child care services.

Area of usual residence
State capital cities comprises the Statistical Divisions of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Hobart. Note that Darwin and Canberra are excluded from this category.

Balance of Australia comprises all areas outside the capital cities mentioned above, plus Canberra and Darwin.

Before and/or after school care program
A type of formal care available to school-aged children before and/or after school hours.

Brother/sister care
Informal care by the child's brothers or sisters, including step brothers or sisters.

Child care arrangements
Relates to those types of care described as formal and informal.

Child Care Benefit (CCB)
The Child Care Benefit, formerly Child Care Assistance and Child Care Rebate, is a payment to help families with their child care costs. It is funded by the Department of Family and Community Services and paid through the Family Assistance Office.

Children
All children under 12 years of age in scope for the survey.

Cost of care
Net amount paid by parents for a child to attend care. Where the CCB was claimed directly by the parents, the CCB amount in the reference week, is subtracted from the total cost, including no cost of care.

Family
Two or more persons, one of whom is at least 15 years of age, who are related by blood, marriage (registered or de facto), adoption, step or fostering; and who are usually resident in the same household. The basis of a family is formed by identifying the presence of a couple relationship, lone parent-child relationship or other blood relationship. Some households will, therefore, contain more than one family.

Family day care
A type of formal care offered in private homes by registered carers, available for a full day or part day to children of all ages.

Family type
Refers to one parent or couple families.

Father
The natural, adopted or step father of the child, or the male legal guardian of the child, or the spouse or de facto partner of the mother. The father must be resident in the same household as the child.

Formal care
Regulated care away from the child's home. The main types of formal care are before and/or after school care, long day care, family day care, occasional care and preschool. Total formal care comprises formal care only and combinations of formal and informal care.

Full-time/part-time workers
Full-time workers are employed persons who usually work 35 hours or more a week and others who, although they usually work less than 35 hours a week, worked 35 hours or more during the reference week.

Part-time workers are employed persons who usually work less than 35 hours a week and who did so during the reference week.

Grandparent care
Informal care by the child's grandmother or grandfather.

Hours of care
Number of hours a child attended child care in the reference week.

Hours worked
Number of hours actually worked by the child's parent(s) in the reference week.

Informal care
Non-regulated care, arranged by a child's parent/guardian, either in the child's home or elsewhere. It comprises care by (step) brothers or sisters, care by grandparents, care by other relatives (including a parent living elsewhere) and care by other (unrelated) people such as friends, neighbours, nannies or babysitters. It may be paid or unpaid. Total informal care comprises informal care only and combinations of informal and formal care.

Long day care centre
Regulated, centre-based care which is available to children between birth and school age for the full day or part day. Centres are usually open for most of the year.

Median
The value which divides the population into two equal parts, one falling below the value and one above.

Mother
The natural, adopted or step mother of the child, the female legal guardian of the child, or the spouse or de facto partner of the father. The mother must be resident in the same household as the child.

Occasional care
Regulated care which is generally available to children between birth and school age for short periods of time, for example to allow parents to shop, attend appointments, or to take brief breaks from parenting.

Other formal care
A type of formal care other than before and/or after school care, long day care, family day care, occasional care and preschool.

Other person care
Informal care by people who are not related to the child such as family friends, babysitters, nannies or neighbours.

Other relative care
Informal care by relatives of the child excluding (step) brothers and sisters, and grandparents. It includes care by the child's other parent living elsewhere, 'in-laws' who are not grandparents of the child and other relatives such as aunt, uncle or cousin .

Preschool
Educational and developmental programs for children in the year (or in some jurisdictions, two years) before they begin full-time primary education.

Reason used care/reason required additional formal care
Respondents were asked to identify all reasons and the main reason.

Work-related reasons include working, looking for work and studying/training for work.

Personal reasons include study or training not related to work, shopping, entertainment, social or sporting activities, giving parents a break/time alone, caring for relatives, visiting doctor, or undertaking voluntary/community activities.

Beneficial for child reasons include good for child and preparation for school.

Registered care
Care provided by nannies, grandparents, relatives or friends who are registered with the Family Assistance Office. It can also include care provided by private preschools, kindergartens, some occasional care centres and some outside school hours care services.

Vacation care
A service provided to school children during the school holidays.

Weekly income of parents
In couple families, total income received from all sources by the couple. In one parent families, the total income from all sources of the lone parent.

Work arrangements
Arrangements, such as flexible working hours, permanent part-time work, shiftwork, job sharing or working at home, normally used by employed parents to assist them to care for their child(ren).


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