What happens after I accept a childcare offer?

Congratulations! You’ve been offered a childcare place and accepted it…and now you’re in that slightly in-between stage of part relief… and part “what do I do next?”.

The good news is the hard part is done. What comes next is mostly practical. Once you accept, you move into the enrolment process - confirming details, completing paperwork and getting everything ready for your child’s first day of childcare.

Accepting an offer vs being fully enrolled

This is the first thing to clear up:

Accepting an offer means:

• you’ve said yes to the place
• you intend to enrol your child
• the service will begin the enrolment process

It does not mean:

• your child is fully enrolled yet
• everything is finalised
• Child Care Subsidy (CCS) is active

Think of acceptance as holding your place. Enrolment is what makes it official.

What services usually send next

Once you’ve accepted, things tend to move fairly quickly. You’ll usually receive:

Enrolment forms

Often sent via email or an online portal, covering:

• child and family details
• emergency contacts
• medical and immunisation information

You’ll typically be asked to return these within a few days to a week.

Requests for supporting documents

This might include:

• Immunisation History Statement
• medical management plans (if relevant)
• identification or contact details

It can feel like a lot at once but it’s completely normal to have some back-and-forth as you gather everything - service providers expect that and are there to help.

Key steps after accepting an offer

Once the paperwork arrives, the steps in the process become more structured:

1. Completing enrolment paperwork

This is where you provide the information services need to care for your child safely. It includes:

• personal and contact details
• emergency contacts
• medical information
• authorised pick-up permissions

2. Signing the Complying Written Agreement (CWA)

This is the most important formal step.

The Complying Written Agreement (CWA):

• is a legal agreement between you and the service
• outlines your care arrangements
• must be signed before CCS can be paid

You’ll usually receive it via your myGov/Centrelink account. It includes:

• days and hours of care
• fees
• start date
• notice periods

You don’t need CCS fully approved yet - that step comes a bit later.

3. Providing medical and immunisation information

This step is all about safety and compliance. You’ll usually need to provide:

• Immunisation History Statement
• details of allergies or medical conditions
• any required medical management plans (these may need a GP signature)

Services are required to collect this before your child can start.

4. Enrolment confirmation

Once everything is submitted and signed:

• your enrolment is confirmed
• your child’s start date and days are locked in
• your enrolment can be linked to CCS

At this point, everything is officially in place.

What you don’t need to do immediately

This is where we can take some pressure off. It can feel like everything needs to be sorted at once, but it doesn’t.

You don’t need to finalise CCS straight away

• CCS doesn’t need to be fully set up before enrolment
• it’s usually linked after your enrolment is confirmed

You don’t need a perfect schedule

It’s okay if:

• your exact days aren’t final yet
• your return-to-work plans are still evolving

Just note: changes will likely require an updated CWA, which you'll need to sign electronically.

You don’t need to know everything

This stage is about:

• getting the essentials in place
• asking questions when you need to
• moving forward, not getting everything perfect

A few common pitfalls (and how to avoid them)

Just to make things easier:

• Missing deadlines → set a quick reminder when forms arrive
• Skimming the CWA → take a few minutes to read it properly
• Leaving immunisation records too late → download them early
• Assuming everything is fixed forever → most things can be adjusted

What this stage is really about

Underneath all the admin, this stage has one simple purpose: turning your childcare offer into a safe, confirmed, ready-to-start place for your child. It’s about providing the right information, signing what needs to be signed and getting ready for day one. 

If the enrolment process feels like a lot, that’s because it is. Just keep in mind that:

• services do this every day
• questions are always welcome
• you’re not expected to be an expert
• and yes, it can feel like a lot - but you will get there