Does the NDIS pay for school holiday programs?

Every December, families of children with disability ask the same thing: will the NDIS cover the school holidays? The honest answer has two halves, and they come straight from the law that decides what the NDIS can fund. One half says no, the other says yes, and which half applies depends on what you are paying for.

This guide explains that split, what a planner looks at, how ratios and transport affect the cost, and how to book a program for the 2026-27 summer break in South Australia. It is written for parents of school-age children and teenagers, roughly 7 to 18.

The fee is not funded; the disability support can be

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS Supports) Transitional Rules 2024 list the supports that generally are not NDIS supports. Under school education, the list includes fees or payments for outside school hours care, including before school, after school, student free days, vacation care and school holiday programs. Under child protection and family support, it lists babysitting, nannying services and au pairs. So the NDIS will not pay a vacation care fee as such.

The same Rules list the supports that are NDIS supports. Two of them describe what a good disability holiday program actually delivers. Group and centre based activities are supports for participants to access and participate in community, social, cultural and recreational activities provided in a group setting, either in the community or in a centre. Participation in community, social and civic activities covers supporting participants during those activities and working with them to build the ability to take part.

Put together, the line is this. The cost of having your child looked after during the holidays is a parenting cost. The extra support your child needs because of disability to join in, such as a trained support worker at a small ratio, help with personal care, or support to manage sensory overload on an outing, can be funded from the plan. That is why a disability holiday program run by an NDIS provider claims the support it delivers, at the staffing ratio your child needs, rather than charging a childcare-style daily fee.

What a planner weighs: reasonable and necessary, and what parents provide

Section 34 of the NDIS Act 2013 sets the tests every funded support must pass. The support must address needs arising from the child's disability, help them pursue the goals in their plan, help with social and economic participation, be value for money, be likely to be effective and beneficial, and take account of what it is reasonable to expect families, carers, informal networks and the community to provide.

That last test is the one that matters for children. Parents are expected to supervise and care for their children in the holidays in the way any parent would for a child of the same age. The NDIS funds what goes beyond that because of disability. A 15-year-old who needs a support worker beside them to stay safe in a public place, or an autistic 9-year-old who cannot cope in an ordinary vacation care room of 30 children, has a support need well beyond what is typical for their age, and that is the case to put to the NDIA.

If you are asking for this support at a plan reassessment, the evidence that helps is specific: what happens when your child is in a mainstream program, what support they need in a group, what the school or a therapist has observed, and which goals in the plan a holiday program works towards, such as making friends, travelling with support or ordering food.

What the NDIS will not pay for in a holiday program

Even when the support is funded, some costs on a program day are excluded by the Rules and should be charged to you separately, not to the plan.

• Vacation care, outside school hours care or school holiday program fees
• Babysitting or nannying
• Entry tickets and fees, such as theme parks, cinemas, the zoo, pools and bowling, and general recreational activity costs
• Food and drink, including lunches and takeaway on an outing
• Standard recreational equipment and toys

Ratios: why they drive the cost and what to ask for

A group program is staffed at a ratio of support workers to participants, and the ratio is the biggest factor in what a day costs the plan. At 1:3 the cost of one worker is shared by three young people; at 1:1 your child has a worker to themselves and the plan pays for all of it.

The right ratio is the one your child needs to be safe and take part, not the cheapest one. Many children do well at 1:2 or 1:3 with staff who know them. Children with high physical care needs, a tendency to leave the group, or behaviours of concern may need 1:1, and the plan should reflect that. If the plan funds shared support, a provider quoting 1:1 for the whole summer is unlikely to fit the budget, so match the quote to what the NDIA has funded.

At ResicareSA, holiday programs typically run at 1:2 or 1:3, with 1:1 available. We send a written quote before the program that states the ratio, the hours and any transport, so you or your plan manager can check it against the plan before you commit.

Transport to and from the program

The Rules list assistance with travel or transport arrangements as an NDIS support for participants who cannot travel or use public transport independently, including transport for community-based activities and provider travel costs. In a holiday program that usually means one of two things: pick-up and drop-off between home and the program, or travel during the day to an outing.

Ask any provider how transport is charged before you book, because providers do it differently, and there is nothing to pay if you drop off and collect yourself. Transport should appear on the quote as a separate line so it can be checked against the plan. ResicareSA uses a wheelchair-accessible van or arranges transport by agreement with the family.

Summer 2026-27 in South Australia: dates and how to book

South Australian public schools finish Term 4 on Friday 11 December 2026 and Term 1 2027 starts on Wednesday 27 January 2027, according to the Department for Education. That is about six weeks to cover, and disability-specific programs are limited by staffing, so summer places fill first.

ResicareSA's summer program runs on weekdays from Monday 14 December 2026 to Monday 25 January 2027, closed on public holidays, in Adelaide, Whyalla and on the Copper Coast around Kadina and Wallaroo. It is for school-age participants, roughly 7 to 18, grouped by age and interest. Group/Centre Activities is one of our NDIS registration groups, which matters if your child's plan is NDIA-managed: the NDIS Act requires agency-managed supports to be provided by a registered NDIS provider.

• Check the plan: look for funding for community participation or group and centre based activities, and how much is left for the rest of the plan period
• Enquire early and say which weeks and days you want
• Ask for a written quote showing the ratio, hours, transport and anything charged to you privately, such as entry fees and food
• Send the quote to your plan manager or support coordinator before you confirm
• Book a short meet with the staff before the first day, and share a support profile: communication, sensory needs, food, medication and what helps when things get hard

Questions people ask