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New in our Preschool rooms

Four days of preschool.
Without four full days of fees.

MJEEC’s Short Preschool Day runs 8:00am to 3:00pm and costs $100, instead of $162 for a full day. It sits on top of the days your child already has.

Here is the whole idea. The government helps pay for a set number of hours each week, not a set number of days. A shorter day uses fewer hours. So the same help stretches across more days.

Hours8am to 3pm
Fee$100 a day
Ages3 to 5 years

Fee calculator

What would an extra day actually cost you?

Not sure what any of that means? Skip it and put your numbers in. It takes about twenty seconds and works out your subsidy for you.

$
Days your child is booked in Preschool now
Your subsidised hoursEvery eligible family gets at least 72 hours a fortnight. You get 100 if you work, study, volunteer or look for work more than 48 hours a fortnight, or if your child is Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.
How we worked this out
  • A full preschool day is 7:00am to 6:00pm, 11 hours, $162. That is $14.73 an hour.
  • A Short Preschool Day is 8:00am to 3:00pm, 7 hours, $100. That is $14.29 an hour.
  • Both are below the government hourly rate cap of $15.19 for centre based day care in 2026 to 27, so your subsidy is worked out on our actual fee rather than the cap. Nothing is lost.
  • Child Care Subsidy is applied to your sessions in date order across the fortnight. Once your subsidised hours run out, the remaining hours are charged at the full fee. That is why the extra day is modelled as the last day of your week.
  • Services Australia holds back 5% of your subsidy until your income is balanced at tax time. We have included that, because it is what actually comes out of your account each week.
  • Start Strong fee relief is applied after the subsidy, spread evenly across our 50 operating weeks, and it cannot reduce your gap below zero.

This is an estimate, not a quote. Your actual subsidy depends on your income estimate, your activity, your immunisation records and your Services Australia assessment. Bring your numbers to a tour and Lauren will work it out with you.

How the Short Preschool Day works

Five rules, and that is the whole thing.

  1. It is an extra day, not a swapThe Short Preschool Day sits on top of the days your child already has. Two full days becomes three. Three full days becomes four.
  2. Your child needs at least two full preschool daysContinuity matters at this age. Children settle better when most of their week is familiar.
  3. Up to three Short Preschool Days per child, per weekAdd one, two or three on top of your full days. Two full days plus two Short Preschool Days gives you a four day week that still fits inside the hours the government helps pay for.
  4. Collection is 3:00pmSame as a school pick up. Our standard late collection fee applies after that.
  5. Days are permanentYou book the same days each week. We report the hours your child is booked for rather than the hours they attend, so a Short Preschool Day is a standing booking rather than something you switch on and off.

Choose your week

Fees before subsidy. The calculator above works out what you would actually pay.

2 full days22 hours a week · $324 a week
2 full days plus 1 Short Preschool Day29 hours a week · $424 a week
2 full days plus 2 Short Preschool Days36 hours a week · $524 a week
2 full days plus 3 Short Preschool Days43 hours a week · $624 a week

Two full days plus two Short Preschool Days gives you four days, and it fits exactly inside the hours the government helps pay for. Nothing spare, nothing wasted.

That is the whole point of it. Four full days would not fit, and you would pay full price for the hours that spill over. Three full days plus one Short Preschool Day still spills over a little. Two full days plus two Short Preschool Days fits exactly.

It is the pattern we recommend to most preschool families.

Why we built it

A lot of families here are trying to make three days of work fit into two days of care. The obvious answer is to add a fourth day, and for most families that answer does not work, because it is not really about the fee.

It is about hours. Every eligible family gets at least 72 subsidised hours a fortnight. A full day here is eleven hours, so four full days uses 88. That leaves sixteen hours a fortnight with no subsidy on them at all, and those are the hours that make a fourth day feel out of reach.

A Short Preschool Day is seven hours instead of eleven. Same room, same educators, same program, same food. Your child just finishes at three.

I have been doing this for over thirty years and I am still on the floor most days. The fourth day conversation is the one I have most often, and the answer was always no. This is me trying to make the answer yes.
Lauren, Director and owner

What the fee covers

All of it. There is no extras list and nothing to bring except a change of clothes.

  • Morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea, cooked here
  • Nappies and wipes
  • Sunscreen
  • A centre hat
  • Music
  • Yoga
  • Martial arts
  • Our two year school readiness program

Who you would be leaving them with

2010
Privately owned and operated in Maroubra since 2010. Not a chain, and not for sale.
10+ yrs
Some of our educators have been here more than ten years. Your child will not meet a new face every term.
30+ yrs
Our director has over thirty years in early childhood and is at the centre most days, not in a head office.

Questions parents ask

Can I book only Short Preschool Days?

No. A Short Preschool Day sits on top of at least two full preschool days.

How many Short Preschool Days can I book?

Up to three a week, on top of your two full days. Most families who add two end up with a four day week that still fits inside their subsidised hours.

Is it cheaper per hour?

Slightly. A full day is $14.73 an hour and a Short Preschool Day is $14.29. Both are below the government hourly rate cap of $15.19, so your subsidy is worked out on our real fee either way.

Does my child still get a rest?

Yes. Rest time runs as normal and finishes well before three.

What if I am running late?

Collection is 3:00pm and our standard late collection fee applies after that. If it becomes a regular thing we will talk to you about moving to a full day, because we have to report the hours your child is actually booked for.

Does it affect Start Strong fee relief?

No. Start Strong is based on your child’s enrolment rather than the hours they attend, and it is applied as a weekly reduction after the subsidy either way.

Is it available in the Nursery or Toddler rooms?

Not at the moment. It is a preschool option for now.

Can I try it before committing?

Come for a tour first. If you like what you see we will book your child in for a stay and play session, about thirty minutes in the room they would join, so you can watch them in it before you decide anything.

Come and see it first

Tours run weekday mornings between 9:15 and 10:30. Lauren will show you the rooms, introduce you to the educators your child would actually have, and work out your real weekly fee with you before you leave.

Ask about a Short Preschool Day

Fill in the enquiry form below and we will get back to you. Tell us which days you are after when we call, and we will check the room. You can also ring Lauren now on (02) 9315 5588.

Short Preschool Days are available to children booked for two or more full preschool days, up to three Short Preschool Days per child per week, in the Preschool rooms only, ages 3 to 5. Days are booked permanently, the same days each week. Start Strong fee relief rates apply to the 2026 calendar year. Fees shown are our published daily fees. Any subsidy figure on this page is an estimate only and is not a quote. Your entitlement is assessed by Services Australia. Maroubra Junction Early Education Centre, 1/142 Maroubra Rd, Maroubra NSW 2035.