Child Care Provider FAQs 

Child care fees in the Shellharbour area vary by centre, child age, and the number of days booked. Junior Einsteins does not publish its fee schedule online; contact each centre directly for a current fee guide. The Australian Government's Child Care Subsidy (CCS) may significantly reduce the out-of-pocket cost your family pays. Families are encouraged to use the CCS Calculator on Starting Blocks to quote their entitlement before enquiring.

Junior Einsteins Nurturing Centre, Shell Heights, is listed as CCS approved on the Starting Blocks register. To receive CCS, you must care for a child aged 13 or younger who is not in secondary school, use an approved service, be responsible for paying the fees, and meet residency and immunisation requirements. The child care provider subsidy is paid directly to the centre, and applications go through myGov via Centrelink. Confirm CCS approval for Blackbutt and Flinders with the centre director before enrolling.

Each centre caters for a specific age range. Blackbutt (Chillawong Circuit) and Flinders (Jindabyne Road) care for children aged two to five years. Shell Heights (Piper Drive) is a purpose-built 125-place centre with four rooms, caring for children from six weeks up to six years. Parents seeking care for infants and young toddlers may find Shell Heights the most suitable starting point.

Opening hours differ across the three Junior Einsteins locations. The Blackbutt and Flinders centres are open Monday to Friday, 7:30 am to 5:30 pm. The Shell Heights centre offers extended hours, open Monday to Friday, 6:30 am to 6:30 pm. All three centres are closed on Saturdays and Sundays. The Blackbutt and Flinders services operate 50 weeks per year, closing for two weeks over the Christmas period.

Families can join the child care provider waitlist or request a tour through the Junior Einsteins website. Each centre page on the website carries a dedicated waitlist form and tour request button. Alternatively, call the relevant centre directly: Blackbutt on 02 4297 2449, Flinders on 02 4296 5315, or Shell Heights on 02 4296 3184. Centres are busy, so joining the waitlist early is advisable.

An NQS rating shows how a centre performs against seven quality areas assessed by the state regulatory authority. Blackbutt and Shell Heights (rated August 2024) both hold an overall exceeding rating, while Flinders holds a meeting rating issued February 2025. 'Exceeding' means a service goes beyond the standard in at least four quality areas. Parents can verify ratings on the ACECQA national register.

All nutritional meals are provided daily at Junior Einsteins, with a qualified cook on the premises. Third-party listings confirm that breakfast, morning tea, lunch, and afternoon tea are included as part of the daily programme. The Flinders centre also supports healthy eating through a vegetable garden and cooking programme. Please confirm current meal inclusions directly with each child care provider centre, as menus and inclusions may vary.

Long day care provides full-day education and care, typically from early morning to early evening, for children from infancy to school age. Preschool is a structured early learning programme for children aged three to five, often with shorter hours that follow school terms. Junior Einsteins operates long day care at all three locations, and its Junior Kinder Programme, developed with local primary schools, delivers school-readiness outcomes within that setting. Both follow the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF).

Junior Einsteins operates three centres across the Shellharbour area. Blackbutt is at 33 Chillawong Circuit, Blackbutt, NSW 2529, and suits families in Blackbutt and Oak Flats. Flinders is at 13 Jindabyne Road, Flinders, NSW 2529, close to Shellharbour Village and the beach. Shell Heights is at 3 Piper Drive, Dunmore, NSW 2529, serving Shell Heights, Dunmore, and Shell Cove. Reach out to the nearest centre to check availability for your child's age group.