INFORMATION FOR International students with children Contents Macquarie University Parents Group..............................................................................................................3 Health and medical information Children’s hospitals ................................................................................................................................................3 Other hospitals ........................................................................................................................................................4 Translation or interpreting services ...............................................................................................................4 Medical centres .......................................................................................................................................................5 Fact sheets on children’s health ......................................................................................................................6 Immunisation ............................................................................................................................................................7 Childcare Child and family day care ....................................................................................................................................8 issues to consider when choosing child care ............................................................................................9 Kindergarten and schooling (K to 12) Kindergarten ...........................................................................................................................................................12 Schooling ..................................................................................................................................................................14 Education for students with special needs .............................................................................................15 Intensive English centres ...................................................................................................................................15 Leisure activities for children Playgroup ..................................................................................................................................................................16 Parks and wildlife ..................................................................................................................................................16 Museums and art galleries ...............................................................................................................................16 Beaches and swimming ....................................................................................................................................17 Sports .........................................................................................................................................................................18 Cinemas and theatres ..........................................................................................................................................18 Amusement parks and other attractions .................................................................................................18 2 Information for International Students with Children 2014 Macquarie University Parents Group Macquarie University’s Parents Group is a support network designed to bring families of Macquarie students and members of the local community together. Macquarie students, the community and extended family and friends are welcome to participate. This Parents Group gives participating parents an opportunity to share their experience and tips with each other and make new friends from around the world, while their children have the opportunity to play with a variety of toys, read books and have lots of fun together. For more information e-mail [email protected] or visit mq.edu.au/future_ students/international/travel_planning_and_arrival/travelling_with_family/ students_with_children/ Health and medical information For emergencies dial 000 Children’s Hospitals Sydney Children’s Hospital High Street Randwick NSW 2031 T: (02) 9382 1111 W: sch.edu.au Opening Hours: 24 hours, 7 days a week Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick is a specialist facility for children’s health, a paediatric teaching centre and the hub of a network of professionals caring for children throughout Sydney and New South Wales. The hospital provides a comprehensive range of services from the most urgent and essential to the most complex and technologically advanced. Children under 16 years of age are admitted in this hospital. Emergency department staff assess and manage children with traumatic injuries, serious illness and common acute paediatric medical and surgical problems. 3 Information for International Students with Children 2014 Children’s Hospital Westmead Cnr Hawkesbury Road and Hainsworth Street Westmead NSW 2145 T: (02) 9845 0000 W: chw.edu.au Opening Hours: 24 hours, 7 days a week The Emergency Department is supervised by a specialist in paediatric emergency medicine. The department provides reception, initial assessment and care of all emergency admissions to the hospital other than those patients transported directly to intensive care areas. The Department also provides care for outpatients with acute illness and injury, non-acute illness and on-the-spot immunisation. Appointments are not necessary for emergency care. Other hospitals Ryde Hospital Denistone Road Eastwood NSW 2122 T: (02) 9858 7888 W: nslhd.health.nsw.gov.au/Hospitals/Ryde Opening Hours: 24 hours, 7 days a week Ryde Hospital is approximately 10 minutes away from Macquarie University and 25 minutes from the centre of Sydney. It is easily accessible by public transport or car. Ryde Hospital provides quality health care to the local community of Ryde and Hunters Hill in Sydney’s northern suburbs. Extensive community health services are also available including child and family health, dental health, aged care and mental health. Royal North Shore Hospital (RNS) Reserve Road St Leonards NSW 2065 T: (02) 9926 7111 W: nslhd.health.nsw.gov.au/Hospitals/RNSH Opening Hours: 24 hours, 7 days a week Translation or Interpreting Services (TIS) In Australia, most hospitals provide onsite interpreting services, to facilitate communication between the patient and the hospital’s staff. Ask for this service on your arrival in the hospital.If you require other translation or interpreting services (TIS) contact the Commonwealth Department of Immigration on 131 450. 4 Information for International Students with Children 2014 What is triage? Most emergency departments are busy, and treat thousands of patients each year. Patients are treated in order of medical urgency, not necessarily in order of arrival. To ensure the sickest patients are seen first a sorting mechanism called triage is used to categorise patients. Triage is performed by an experienced triage nurse and occurs very soon after arrival. The triage system exists in all hospitals throughout Australia. Care is delivered to all patients regardless of race, culture, beliefs, conscientious convictions, disability or sexual orientation. Privacy will be respected at all times. Non-emergency conditions are best treated by your local doctor or at after-hours medical centres as it frees up emergency departments to treat emergency cases. Medical centres On campus Medical Services Level 3, Suite 305 at the Macquarie University Clinic (F10A), Macquarie University T: (02) 9812 3944 or (02) 9812 3906 W: students.mq.edu.au/campus_life/campus_wellbeing_support_services/medical_service/ Opening Hours: 9am – 5.30pm Monday – Friday, closed over weekends and public holidays Appointments are necessary, however accidents and emergencies will be triaged accordingly. For Australian residents with a valid Medicare card, consultations are bulk billed*. Bulk billing is also available for some pathologist services. Overseas students with valid OSHC Worldcare or an alternative insurance provider, are billed directly. Some vaccines are free of charge (e.g. Tetanus, childhood immunisations) but most travel vaccines (e.g. Hepatitis A&B, Typhoid etc.) are charged at near cost price. It is very important that you bring your valid Medicare, Worldcare or insurance provider certificates with you to each consultation. Off campus The closest medical centre to Macquarie University is located in Macquarie Shopping Centre. Macquarie Medical Centre Shop 45, Level 2, Macquarie Shopping Centre, 197 Herring Road, North Ryde NSW 2113 Australia T: (02) 9878 6666 (After hours 13 26 60) Opening hours: Monday – Thursday 7.30am – 7pm; Friday 8am – 6pm; Saturday and Sunday 8am – 5:30pm For information on other medical centres or other medical services visit doctors-4u.com/sydney/community.htm *Bulk billing consultations means that you will not be directly charged for the consultation, instead the charge of the consultation will be directly sent to your insurance company. Usually, you will be advised before you see the doctor if any costs are involved. Make sure you read and understand the terms and conditions of your insurance. 5 Information for International Students with Children 2014 Fact sheets on children’s health For information regarding kids’ health, • allergies • basic life support sch.edu.au/health/factsheets and • common illness and infection chw.edu.au/parents/factsheets