Need For An OSCAR Service
You need to find out whether there is a genuine need for an OSCAR service before you establish one. You need to find out whether you have enough interest from parents and families to support it.

You can do this by assessing existing programmes or surveying local families and/or schools are methods to achieve this. In some cases you may not need to conduct a survey. Sometimes the need for school age childcare services in a community is obvious.

Ask yourself, and others in your community, the following questions and use your answers as indicators of whether a service is needed include:

• Are there a lot of children hanging around the playground before and after school?
• Do school principals and school staff complain about children being left in the playground?
• Are there a lot of advertisements in local papers or on local notice boards requesting caregivers for after school, before school or in the holidays?
• Do a lot of parents call the school office or local community centre looking for care?
• What happens to the children who attend the local pre-school when they go to school?

Members of the community are a valuable resource. You will find that childcare centre supervisors often know about the wider needs of the families who use their service. You should also consult with other members of the community. As school principals, local police, social workers, children's clinics and Citizens Advice Bureau whether they think there is a need for a school age childcare programme in the area.

Talking to parents and other interested parties is a good way to find out their thoughts on how they think the service should be set up and managed. You should also contact the schools where the children will be coming from. It is a good idea to form a positive relationship with the school early on as this will add to the success of your programme. Schools may help you by advertising and promoting your service through their newsletter and informing new families of your existence.

Back to the top

Programme Venue
Looking for a suitable venue to run an OSCAR programme from can be challenging. If you are from a school, community centre or church this may not be a problem, but space available to community groups is generally at a premium, especially in cities and suburbs.

Ideally it is good if you can find a room or hall that is available solely to run your programme. Most OSCAR programme share their venue with others. You could look for community halls, community centres, church halls, sports clubs, recreation centres, pre-schools and kindergartens are all examples of the kind of venue you could use.

If you are not aware of an organisation that has space available, your should approach local schools. The schools will be the primary source of your clients so it makes sense to utilise their venue if they have one available. Schools either provide space for people running a programme on a contract basis or manage the programme themselves. Schools have classrooms, libraries and halls that all make good OSCAR venues.

If you are setting up a programme in a school, you need to consider whether or not you will open it to children from other schools. Some schools prefer to keep it for their pupils only. Often it is easier to manage children they know. Smaller schools, however, may need outside pupils to make the service financially viable.

If children from other schools do attend your programme you will need to organise transportation of these children. You will need to develop transport polices and safety procedures.

If there is no space at a nearby school you will need to look around the community for a venue. When you are looking for a venue area you should think about the following points:

• Are there adequate indoor and outdoor play areas? A outdoor playground is an advantage.
• Will you be able to afford the costs?
• Is the venue safe for children?
• Is there a telephone on site?
• Will the children be able to be seen at all times?
• Is it on a busy road?
• Is it large enough to hold the number of children you are anticipating?
• Is there dangerous equipment about?
• Are there separate toilets accessible only to the children?
• Is there a kitchen for food preparation?
• Is there storage available for the programmes equipment?
• Is there an area to store the children's bags, coats etc?
• Is there any furniture? Ideally tables and chairs are needed for art and craft activities.
• Is there a room or area for quiet play or resting?

If the venue doesn't have all these features, you may need to think creatively or laterally. You could use a mobile phone if there is no telephone available. If there is no separate area for quiet play, you could get an off-cut of carpet and a few cushions to create an area defined as the “quiet space”?

Back to the top

Programme Management
OSCAR services are managed in a number of different ways. The majority are being run by community based organisations on a not for profit basis. Some are managed by privately owned businesses, for example pre-school centres and some are managed by employer-assisted programmes.

OSCAR programmes part of an existing service organisation are generally managed by the management structure already in place. This includes services run by pre-schools, church committees, Boards of Trustees, marae committees, community centres, or recreation centres.

Not for profit programmes are often managed by a parent committee. These are usually set up by a group of parents who share the need for an OSCAR programme and get together to establish one. The most effective programmes have a good deal of parent input.

All OSCAR management committees should strive to have parents using the service on board. It is important to have parents represented on issues such as who is caring for their children and whether the needs of the families are being met.

If your group is not part of an existing organisation you might want to consider becoming an incorporated society or charitable trust. This means that your group is a separate legal entity and individuals' finance liability is limited. It is also necessary if you want to apply for funding.

Back to the top

Licensing Requirements
There are no mandatory licensing requirements for school-age childcare in New Zealand.

Child, Youth and Family Approval For OSCAR Services
Child, Youth and Family (CYF), however, offer a voluntary approval process for OSCAR Services. This is an assessment process carried out by CYF to ensure that OSCAR programmes are properly run and take place in a safe environment.

If you wish to be eligible to apply for Government funding, or for your parents to be able to apply for Government subsidies your programme will need to meet these standards set down by CYF.

The OSCAR Foundation strongly advises all OSCAR Programmes to become CYF Approved for OSCAR Services.

More information about CYF Approval

Back to the top

Finance
It is important to work out early on if programme will be financially viable. Before you begin you need to prepare a budget to ensure that your service will be able to continue once you start operating.

Costs
The following is a list of some of the costs you may encounter. Not all programmes will have all these costs.

Some of the costs you can anticipate are:

• Wages (remember to include holiday pay, ACC payments, allow for sick pay etc.)
• Equipment and consumables e.g. games, sport equipment, art and craft supplies etc (remember to include replacement cost for loss and damage)
• First aid kit (essential)
• Rent
• Utilities and telephone
• Food
• Resources and membership to organisations
• Photocopying e.g. survey forms, brochures, enrolment forms etc.
• Furniture
• Advertising
• Administration costs e.g. postage, faxes etc.
• Travel (to reimburse committee members, staff etc.)
• Transport (if you are transporting children from their school to the programme)
• Professional fees e.g. audit, incorporation fees
• Training fees
• Insurance

Income
Your main source of income will be parent fees. To work out your weekly fee you can divide your total weekly costs by the minimum number of children you are confident will use the service. Many parents will not be able to afford this so you will need to make an adjustment and lower it to what you think your families can manage.

There is a wide range of fees charged around New Zealand according to the particular circumstances of the community. Some programmes only charge $0.50 a day while others charge $25.00 per afternoon.

Advertising and promoting your programme will help to keep your numbers up and the fees rolling in. Well utilised programmes are also attractive to organisations donating goods or money.

It is important to note that all programmes go through an establishment phase where numbers are relatively low. Parents may be reluctant to let go of the arrangements they already have, no matter how inadequate these are, until they are certain your service will continue on a long term basis. They also want to be sure that you are offering a good quality programme. You will need to take this into account when preparing your budget.

Back to the top

Government Funding

Ministry of Social Development OSCAR Funding
The Ministry of Social Development (MSD) offer OSCAR funding to assist with running OSCAR programmes.

A Development Grant is available for new programmes. This is to assist with your establishment costs and/or to help you become CYF Approved for OSCAR Services.

An Assistance Grant is available for operational costs. This grant is intended to improve the viability, sustainability and quality of programmes.

More info on MSD Funding

OSCAR Subsidy
The OSCAR Subsidy is also available for parents to help with the cost of their fees. This subsidy is available from Work and Income to assist families on low and middle incomes. Your programme needs to have CYF Approval for OSCAR Services and you need to be registered with Work and Income for families to apply.

More info on OSCAR Subsidy

Back to the top

Raising Money
If you need to raise further funds for your programme here are some suggestions:

Traditional Fundraising Methods
You could run the tried and true fundraisers such as cake stalls, raffles, garage sales etc. It is a good idea to take them out into the wider community to target people who will not be directly involved in paying for the service. This is also a good way to advertise and promote your programme.

Sponsorship and Donations
Local businesses may support your efforts by contributing goods or services. They may offer to pay for something in the form of sponsorship, or they may be interested in arranging a reciprocal arrangement where you both benefit.

A printing company may pay for your photocopying costs in return for a small ad in your newsletter. Schools or community organisations may provide free or subsidised rent. A local shop might donate some goods for a raffle. A bookshop might dontate some paper for your art and craft work. Local Rotary or Lions club are also good places to ask for support.

Community Grants
There are a number of organisations that might provide funding for OSCAR groups. Link Centres (Department of Internal Affairs information offices) have a computerised database called the Funding Information Service. This very user-friendly system lists all the funding organisations and philanthropic groups in New Zealand.

Back to the top

Programme Operation
There will be a number of operational factors you need to consider. Aside from logistics such as when the programme will run and what hours it will be open, you should put together a set of written standards or policies of operation. These protect staff and children, and will help you ensure you are providing quality care and recreation.

You policies should include:

• What your staff to child ratios will be
• Whether the children will be pre enrolled or will your programme run on a ‘drop in' basis
• What procedures your will follow if a child is enrolled but does not show up
• How you will hire and supervise staff
• What expectations you will have of your staff
• How you will deal with suspicions of child abuse
• The procedures you will follow in case of an accident or emergency
• What safety precautions you will take on field trips
• What rules and expectations you will have for the children's behaviour
• What you will do about a child who continually misbehaves

Administrative systems will also need to be established. These will include:

• Enrolment forms
• Fee arrangements
• Attendance sheets
• A sign in and sign out system
• Accident forms
• Medical permission forms
• Field trip permission slips

You will need to regularly evaluate both the programme content and the overall service to ensure you are continue to meet your aims and objectives of your service, and cater for everyone's needs.

Back to the top

Staff
The staff you hire to work in the programme will be the key to its success. If you hire experienced, professional people you can achieve a well run, safe, quality service.

You should aim to hire staff who have experience working with groups of children. It is also favourable if they have a good understanding of recreation and what is involved in providing a fun, caring and safe environment for children.

It is important that staff are first aid trained. At least one person working in your programme should have a first aid qualification.

When hiring staff it is vital to interview all staff and to contact at least two referees. You will want to ensure there is nothing in the applicant's background that may affect their ability to provide quality care for the children.

All staff whether paid or voluntary should have a job description. Written employment agreements also help towards clarifying everyone's position and avoiding disputes. Remember that on-going training is an important component of any job.

You should be prepared to pay at least $14.00 per hour for a supervisor and at least $10.00 per hour for an assistant if you want good staff to stay long term. Volunteers can be fantastic in OSCAR programmes and provide the nececcary skills and abilities. One of two volunteers in your programme can be worthwhile but try to avoid being too dependent on volunteers.

In 2009 a Wage and Fee Survey of The OSCAR sector was conducted due to the high number of enquiries regarding wages and fees within the sector. You should read this report to help you develop an understanding of the current status of wages in the OSCAR sector.

Wage and Fees Survey Results 2009 

Police vetting of staff is important in the OSCAR sector. All staff over the age of 17, whether paid or voluntary, in your organisation who will be in contact with the children should be police vetted. You will need to contact the Police Licensing and Vetting Service to register your OSCAR programme. They will then send you the necessary forms for you and your staff to fill out.

Back to the top

Equipment & Supplies
When you first start you won't need a lot of equipment, or expensive equipment to get things up and going. There are many ways of sourcing this equipment and supplies without spending a lot of money.

Games, toys, art and craft supplies can be purchased from cheaper retail chains. Keep an eye out when sales are on. Garage sales and markets are also excellent sources of games, toys, playground and sports equipment. Remember to check that the game is complete and give it a good clean before using.

You could put up a wish list on a local community notice board or circulate one around your parents. Ask for recyclable materials like wool, fabric, magazines, old sheets, wood, cardboard boxes, plastic containers etc. These provide numerous opportunities for exciting and imaginative play and people are often glad to get these items out of their house.

When you stock up, make sure all games and puzzle boxes get a bit of extra tape around the sides and lid to provide reinforcement against a lot of wear and tear. You could also collect together plastic containers to store small things in.

Here are a few suggestions of the types of things you will need to start your programme:

• First aid kit, suntan lotion
• Rugs, blankets, pillows
• Snack equipment (e.g. plastic cups, cutlery, plastic serving plates)
• Sports equipment such as skipping ropes, playground balls, tennis balls, cricket bat, soccer ball, moonhopper Beach/nerf balls for indoor play
• Elastic for Chinese skipping
• Board games such as Connect Four, Guess Who, Snakes and Ladders, Hamburger Books, comics
• Building blocks, Duplo, Lego Jig saw puzzles, playing cards, dice
• Recyclable materials such as wool, fabric, cardboard for art and craft
• Scrap paper (e.g. computer paper)
• Magazines for cutting up Scissors, string, paper clips, stapler
• Sellotape and dispenser PVA glue, paint, paintbrushes
• Crayons, felt pens, pencils and pens, rulers
• Roll of newsprint (available cheaply from many community newspapers)

Back to the top

OSCAR Foundation Membership

OSCAR Foundation Membership


Back to the top