By Leonie Fuge
Southern Downs parents already pressured with expensive childcare fees are struggling to balance the household budget as living costs rise, and sadly the government’s “Cheaper Childcare“ reform is still six months away.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, working families on the Southern Downs earn less than those of our nearby cities, and one local mum said that half of her wage goes to daycare fees.
“It makes you question whether going to work is worth it,” said the mother of two who preferred to remain anonymous.
“I went back to work to help pay the bills and take the burden off my husband as the sole income earner, but when you are working 37 hours a week and then pay $450 per week straight to daycare and kindy fees, that is ridiculous.”
Parenthood chief executive director Georgie Dent said the affordability and accessibility of early learning and care were major issues for Australian parents.
“Australian families pay some of the most expensive early learning fees in the world, the cost of living pressure is immense and the recent interest rate rises all add to the burden,” she said.
The local mum agreed.
“Daycare is a big conversation between parents, they worry about if they can afford it.
“Increased mortgage and escalating bills are impacting many families, especially those who bought a house during Covid and now are paying high rates. They might be an extra $200 a week out of pocket,” said the working mother. “And daycare might be what has to be cut.”
(Subheading)
Working grandparents
Unaffordable childcare is not just impacting working parents on the Southern Downs, working grandparents are also feeling the strain.
“My husband had to take a week off work so he could look after our grandchildren,” said a Southern Downs grandmother who was unable to take time off from work herself after covering the last school holidays.
“Our daughter is interested in maintaining a job that she loves, but at $500 a week for daycare, it is almost not worth her working. So we do what we can to alleviate the pressure.”
“I feel sorry for this generation. They want to work but can’t afford to as daycare is so expensive. It is just horrid,” she said.
Another Southern Downs grandmother, Lee Osborne said that working from home at times to care for her grandchildren whilst her daughter resumed working part-time was a privilege, but it was exhausting.
“I’m not as young as I used to be, and dealing with small children whilst maintaining my standard of work is getting beyond me.“
The grandmother said, “we love our grandchildren but there must be ways the government can relieve the pressure. Early Education centres have great programs and activities but my daughter can only afford two days per week.”
(subheading
Early Learning is childhood education
After having her children and heading back into the workforce, a single mother of two, Renee Landcaster, said it is difficult to understand why early learning is not considered part of every child’s educational journey and all funded by the government in the same manner.
“Daycare and Kindy are preparation for school, it is in my children’s best interest to engage with early learning programs. I don’t understand why it is not more affordable,” said Renee.
Early Childhood Australia strongly advocates for an early childhood system for young children that delivers more accessible, affordable, inclusive, and stable early childhood services.
Reporting the key reasons why early learning matters in 2022, the organisation said, “The goal of fully realising the benefits of early learning for all children in Australia has not yet been reached.”
“High-quality early learning makes a difference to children’s long-term outcomes, but research shows over a third of Australia’s children live in ‘childcare deserts’
Childcare deserts are areas with more than three children for every early childhood education centre. They occur predominantly in regional areas such as the Southern Downs as well as remote regions.
“Every child, regardless of where they live or what their parents earn, deserves access to quality early learning before they start school,“ said the Parenthood Chief Executive Director.
“Abolishing the activity test would ensure children in families with low income or parents in casualised work can have greater access to early learning that supports their development and education,“ he said.
