The 3 Day CCS Guarantee: What It Means For Families

From January 2026, the Australian Government is replacing the Child Care Subsidy (CCS) Activity Test to guarantee at least 3 days of subsidised early childhood education and care (ECEC) each week for children who need it. In this article, we summarise what this means for families. 

• From January 2026, all CCS-eligible families will receive 72 subsidised hours per fortnight of early learning for each child (around 3 days per week) regardless of how many hours of work, study, volunteering, etc., they do. NB. Families earning over $533,280 are not eligible for CCS.
• CCS-eligible families do not need to prove work, study, or volunteering hours to access the first three days per week (or 72 hours per fortnight) of subsidised care
• CCS-eligible families can still get up to 100 subsidised hours per fortnight of early learning if they meet activity requirements.
• Families caring for a First Nations child will be eligible for 100 hours of subsidised early learning per fortnight.

• More flexibility for families previously disadvantaged by activity-based rules. If you’re eligible for CCS, you get it.
• Fee relief – According to the Department of Education, families are expected to benefit from significant weekly and annual savings under the 3-Day CCS Guarantee. The government’s fact sheet provides estimated savings.
• Better access to early education ensuring that every child has the opportunity to benefit from high-quality early education & care.

With the 3 Day Guarantee arriving soon, more families are choosing to enrol for for flexible, high-quality early learning.

Now’s the time to secure your place:

• Join Our Waitlist
• Chat with our team on 02 6680 4407 about the 3 Day Guarantee and how it supports your family
• Email info@oselc.com.au