Overhaul of Child Care Subsidy (CCS) System represents a Big Win for Australian Families

Commencing on 1 January 2026, Australian families will benefit from a major reform in early childhood education: the Government’s new “3 Day Guarantee.”The 3-Day Guarantee replaces the current Child Care Subsidy (CCS) Activity Test, which has previously restricted access to subsidised care based on parent activity levels.

What does the 3 Day Guarantee mean for Families?

Under the new 3 Day Guarantee system, from 1 January 2026:

• All children will be guaranteed up to 3 days of subsidised earlylearning per week (72 hours per fortnight).
• Families will no longer need to meet activitytest requirements to access these subsidised days.

What is the potential value of the 3 Day Guarantee for families attending Insight Early Learning centres?

The potential savings will depend upon each Family’s CCS percentage and their current entitlement to CCS hours under the existing Activity Test system.For a family that doesn’t currently receive any CCS due to not meeting the Activity Test, the potential savings could be up to $20,000 per child per year (assuming 3 days per week, 50 weeks p.a, 90% CCS entitlement and a daily fee of $150.).For a family with an income of $120,000 p.a. (83% CCS level) that is currently only entitled to 18 hours of CCS per week, the savings under the 3 Day Guarantee would be around $10,000 per child per year.

How will the 3 Day Guarantee impact demand for child care places generally?

According to Government estimates, more than 100,000 families will be eligible for additional hours of subsidized care under the new system, leading to significant increased demand for childcare places as we head towards 2026.

 

How can I secure my entitlement to additional hours of subsidized care in 2026 now?

We are committed to ensuring that families can maximize their entitlement to increased subsidized care under the 3 Day Guarantee and we will work with each individual family to support their full entitlement to care. For our existing families seeking to increase days, we will do our very best to reserve those additional days for you. For new families that enrol for 2 days per week now, we will also help to reserve additional day(s) from January 2026.

What Should Parents Do Next?

Please call our enrolments team at 1300 000 435 or email enrolments@insightel.com.au to understand exactly what the 3 Day Guarantee means for you and how to secure your increased entitlement to care.