No early education care places in ‘childcare desert’
By Samantha Elley
Rachael Lane and Jaclyn Pilbeam are two young mums who are finding it difficult to navigate the lack of childcare spaces in the Lismore area.
Because she was unable to find childcare for her two-year-old daughter, Sophie, Rachael does shiftwork at night, packing shelves, then takes over at home so her husband can go to work during the day.
Jaclyn was luckier in that she was able to find a place for her 13-month-old daughter, Evie, but she had to take extreme action.
“We had our daughter Evie on a daycare (list) before she was even born,” she said.
“She is still on waiting lists, as Evie goes to daycare that is 20-30 minutes from our house.
“It’s not ideal for our family. I need to go to work. I’d love to stay at home with my children but it’s just not an option for me.”
Ms Pilbeam said the cost of living meant she had to work, but not only that, her time at work helped her as well.
“I am a better mum when I work,” she said.
“I am quite happy to send my child to daycare, although it’s not my first option. It works for me and it works for my family.
“We need those options available in our area for mums like me.”
Ms Pilbeam said that the waiting lists in Lismore for childcare is on average 200 young ones.
Isabel McLennan of The Learning Cottage in Lismore and Wollongbar confirmed the numbers.
“I’ve got 300 families on both waiting lists,” she said.
“That’s 600 children that we can’t supply places for.”
Another issue, especially since the 2022 flood, is the need for quality early childhood educators, according to Mitch Hutchinson of Kyogle Early Learning.
“To fill those spots with quality educators is also a big issue in this area,” he said.
“To attract and retain high quality early childhood teachers in the area where there’s zero rentals (and) high cost of living area is really hard for the award wages they get paid.”
The opposition is calling for the government to address the crisis for young families.
“This is a big problem across our country,” said Angie Bell, Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education.
“We are looking at more flexibility and choice for regional families that currently do not have access to early learning.”
Minister Bell said the issue seemed more acute in Lismore, due to the flood crisis, but it was an issue across the country.
“There are 9 million Australians who live in a childcare desert and what that means is there are three children waiting for every place available.”
Minister Bell said the Labor government needed to step up and deliver more for regional families.
“They spent $4.7 billion on their Cheaper Childcare Bill and all they’ve delivered is zero places for regional Australians,” she said.
“Fees have gone up by 7% in less than six months and so families are paying more, which means they have to work longer hours.”
And while Minister Bell was unable to reveal the childcare policy of the Coalition, more would be revealed closer to the next election.
“What we want to see is flexibility and choice for families,” she said.
A new report from the Centre for Policy Development was released last week and it recommended bold reforms to ensure universal early education and care for all children.
Ten key reforms were suggested in the Growing Together: A future universal early childhood education and care system for Australia report.
These included ensuring all children had access to a minimum of three days of early childhood education and care a week at low or no cost.
“Three days is perfect,” said Jaclyn.
“It feels like a happy medium. I feel like I can give more to my children.
“It’s good socialisation for the kids and you’ve still got four days with your children at zero dollar rate.”
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