There has been a lot of chatter about the state of child care in Australia recently. How much it costs, how much childcare workers are getting paid, should nannies be a tax deduction, how much the rebates help … how do we keep it affordable. The list goes on. And on.
Well, the Australian Government knows who to ask and that’s Mamamia readers.
We’ve run news updates, posts and watched comment threads unfold as you discuss child care options and what works – and doesn’t work – for your family. Many Mamamia readers work in the industry and know firsthand what it’s like.
The Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Child Care Minister Kate Ellis came to Mamamia HQ last week to have that same conversation with you, answering your questions and replying to your comments live right here.
Ms Gillard told journalists
“I want to make sure that when we’re giving families extra support that that is making a difference to child care affordability for them,” she said.
The PM is in Sydney for a child care summit, talking directly to child care workers and unions to nail down policy details.
Ms Gillard said Labor had tripled the investment in childcare – to more than $22 billion – and had increased the child care tax rebate from 30 per cent to 50 per cent.
Now, she’s not looking for Dorothy Dixers or easy questions to answer. It’s up to you to ask the questions you need answered (politely, of course)! Tell the PM or Kate Ellis what it’s like for you. How could you be helped?
The PM was online last week however Kate Ellis will be coming back to answer your questions over the next few days.
So make sure you come back to get involved!
Fire away: what is child care like for you at the moment? How could you be helped? What isn’t working? What’s it like working in the industry? Do you have anything to do with the industry and want to share your thoughts?
NB: Remember, your experience counts. If you have something to say about balancing child care and work, let us know. But our usual comment rules apply. Stick to the topic. Keep your comments civil and polite. We can disagree as much as we like, but rude comments will be removed.
Comments
724 Comments so far
Am I the only one who can’t read the other pages of comments? Every time I click on a page number the little circle refresh thing comes up but just loads to the same comments.
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I have the same problem Lauren, although sometimes the extra comments are just loaded at the bottom.
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I am also having trouble that i can only ‘like’ comments that have not had any ‘votes’ put them to yet
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Hi Prime Minister, wanted to add my own story. My husband is an early childhood educator (yes, a rare male in the industry). He has directed government, NFP, community and private centres, managing large teams and large numbers of children. The pay scale is not reflective of the education and responsibilities he has; like other educators here has commented he struggles to retain great team members.
We set up our own family day care when our kids were little – local families flocked to get it because 1:5 ratio with a trained EC teacher, magic! It was a lifestyle choice not a money making decision.
His passion is the early years, but I’ve watched that passion burn out particularly working for private operators who bend the rules to maximise profits, and don’t put the care and education of the child first. We have a vision to open our own and to change childcare in Australia for ever, but at the very basic level government needs to address the red tape that operators fumble through. Regulations and ratios are important – absolutely – but not so many that the education of the child is compromised.
BTW, he was teaching at a centre recently and the team told him that the local primary schools specifically requested the preschoolers NOT be taught to read – they didn’t want them entering primary school with reading skills. Is that the future we want for our children? Better connection between preschools and infant schools could revolutionise our intellectual economy.
Imagine how powerful the Australian economy could be if parents were empowered to return to their chosen careers, secure in the knowledge that their child was getting the very best educational start in life – and those preschoolers entering school already had a passion for learning and an enquiring, independent mind. Would love your thoughts, PM!
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Well done on doing this! Childcare, pre school, and outside school hours care programs are a mess and it would be great if the whole ststen becomes more joined up an the administrative stuff more streamlined.
I haven’t had any children yet, but my best friend manages before and after school care programs so I’ve seen some of the issues she faces with attracting and retaining enough qualified staff to maintain ratios and the disjointed relationships between the care programs and the schools/P&Cs.
I also wonder why there are so many overlapping rebates that need to be specially applied for. Maybe if we stopped messing about with rebates and subsidies that each mean a new form to fill in or a visit to centrelink and used the saving in administration costs to make child care more affordable upfront. Or make fees fully tax deductible (I recognise that this is a problem for low income families, hence my preference for lower upfront fees).
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Thanks Melissa.
Since 1 January 2012, we now have a national approach to early childhood education and care that is focussed on quality outcomes for children and supporting services by minimising administrative burden so they only have to deal with one set of rules at a time.
Hopefully this will makes thing easier for dedicated educators like your friend.
A majority of families would be worse off under tax deductibility – even some families on high incomes – because the Child Care Rebate pays 50% of child care costs up to $7500 per year, which is higher than the top marginal tax rate.
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Dear Prime Minister,
I really appreciate the support your government offers through the child care rebate. But thanks to the rising cost of daycare and the $7k cap per child, I am only covered for around 30 weeks of the year.
If you are looking to offer more support to parents, you should look at raising the cap or removing it when children are in certified daycare and parents are working full time.
Thanks
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Sorry to post that twice, I had an error message the first time.
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As a mum paying her fees, my biggest problem was I could never figure out whether the bill I was presented with was correct. The fact that the bill was some bizarre complex calculation based on things relating to the centre itself (nothing to do with the parents) was just plain wrong.
Costs and calculation should be based on service provided rates not centre conditions of operation and clear, concise and simple. The parent contribution and the govt contribution should be clearly delineated. (no centrelink jargon)
Also any increase offered by the govt way immediately absorbed by the centre and did little to offset parent costs.
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Dear Prime Minister
I really appreciate the support that your government offers to cover child care, but with the rising daycare fees, and the 50% rebate being capped at $7k per child, I am only covered for about 30 weeks of the year. If there were to be any changes made to the system, it would be great if you could look at raising the cap for the rebate so that mums who work full time can have this support for the whole year.
Thanks
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My biggest issue is actually being offered a spot in both child care Centres and family day care. I live in the inner west of Sydney and the waitlist for childcare is outrageously long! I was due back to work early March, but because there were no childcare vacancies available (I’ve been on the waitlist for a year), I’ve now lost my job. It’s extremely upsetting. The cost of living is rising, I want to go back to work, yet there isn’t enough childcare Centres to accommodate the amount of babies being born in the area. Childcare vacancies is one issue, but it’s one of many issues in regards to this topic. We need help from the Government!!!
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Forgive me if this has already been mentioned, I haven’t had time to scroll thorugh all comments..
My concern is for those who have irregular working hours? Shift workers, artists and the like cannot engage a childcare centre for their children, because few (if any) are open late into the night. Hence, people in these professions seek the in-home assistance of nannies and babysitters… What can the government do to make it easier for people in this position?
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I can speak for what the government can do, but have you looked into Family Day Care? These are early childhood educators who work from their own homes and as such will often care for children over night and on weekends. There are schemes across Australia and you can get the child care rebate
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I am just about to start in this industry and currently studying cert 3, I just want to say It is amazing the dedication and hard work from child educators in this industry, not only to they get paid less then someone in a bar job but they put their heart and soul in to caring for the future of australia. its about time it was recognised the wonderful work they do, child care is an integral part of life here, it did wonders for my daughter and pushed her education up higher then i had imagined when going into it, it is because of the wonderful job child educators did with my child that spurred me on to want to do the same for others, it is a real shame they do not get acknowledged for their work and paid what they deserve
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Prime Minister, we pay full child care for a four year old and also have an older daughter in university currently who recieves zero Government assistance and lives out of home stone cold broke majority of the time – why is this not taken into account?
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Dear Prime Minister, wonderful you are taking the time to explore this topic. At RedBalloon I’m lucky enough to work flexibly, but founder Naomi Simson knows not all mums are that lucky. She once wondered what it would be like if childcare was a tax deduction? And then wondered what the economy would look like if it were free! See freechildcareaustralia.com.au for parents’ stories on this vital topic. I encourage everyone to add their own.
Would the government ever explore a program similar to the UK where companies give childcare vouchers to their employees, and those vouchers are tax credits for the organisation?
Thanks,
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In relation to staff retention, it may be a good idea to offer some of the child care funding as incentive payments, paid directly to staff who work in Early Childhood Education for a period of time. This could also apply to staff who upgrade their qualifications to 0-5 specific degrees/qualification.
In relation to encouraging Children’s Services to remain more affordable to families, some funding could be allocated to Services who agree to cap fees and or increases for certain periods of time.
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Hi Julia,
This question is to put my wife at ease,during your recent visit to Jellybeans,Warwick, Monika (my wife) who works as a cook there offered you some cookies they had prepared that day….since then she wonders whether you ate the cookies and if you liked it….can you please answer this question and put my home minister at peace….:) Regards
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In relation to staff/Educator retention, it may be a good idea to allocate funding as incentive payments to those Educators who stay in the Early Childhood Profession over a period of time.
In relation to encouraging Child Care Centres to keep cost affordable, there could be some funding allocated as incentive payments for Centres who agree to keep their cap fees over a certain period.
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Thank you for your suggestions Suzie
We’re determined act on child care affordability and build on the positive changes that have already been made to childcare.
A fee cap and retention issues were discussed when we met with the PM on Thursday and these ideas are really important for us to know as we work on addressing the issues for parents and child care providers.
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Firstly I would like to Refute a comment previously made by someone below (sorry didn’t check name). Although childcare workers are doing a job that they love, we work hard to look after those children. For the children that come more then twice a week we know there routines and what’s best for those children sometimes before the parents. Especially when they come 5 days. Wedo everything for them kids, from teaching them how to talk, walk etc all the way to school readiness programs, which prepare them for school. It’s a lot more work then research, or even teaching (I am a current teacher whom has also completed a PHD)
My question I the PM is, if we are getting paid less then other industries, does this mean you devalue early childhood? There are a lot of valued workers out there leaving the industry due to the cost of living and being unable to afford to live on a childcare wage.
This results in a lot more traineeships to take advantage young teenagers who still live at home(themajority of the time), and lower qualified staff. Having worked in childcare in different positions from trainee to manager whilst still at uni, I know this affects not only the staff but especially the children’s development. What Is being done to amend this situation and to give these workers a much deserved pay rise along with much needed support?
At the end of the day, it is only affecting our younger generation as we are unable to provide adaquete role models!
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Hi Charlotte,
I think that was my comment you were refering to below, and I would just like to clarify that you do great work! Im certain you work harder and longer than I do (hey, its 10am and I am on mamamia!) and certainly deserve to be renumerated for your hard work.
My comment simply meant to say that you cant compare early education wages to woolies wages as early posters were doing. Sometimes you have to pay more to really boring jobs, and sometimes you have to earn less to do something you love.
No offense meant. Keep up the great work.
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Hi PM
My question is why do we need to offer more Han a 50% rebate?
Having children is a privilege not a right. While I acknowledge not all pregnancies are planned we need to take full responsibility for our children which includes financial responsibility. Perhaps those families struggling to make ends meet in the family should look into regional centres like Newcastle to reduce the cost of living and provide a better quality of life for their kids.
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Agreed. My friends who have children in a small country town pay just $30 a day for childcare.
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Hi Julia,
Could it be that the child care cost frustrations expressed by parents, child care workers and child care providers are a reflection of the significantly higher cost of living we’re all experiencing?
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Prime Minister Gillard, I think you are doing a fantastic job and are a real role model to women everywhere. Your resilience under pressure is admirable.
My issues with childcare concerns school aged children. I know that my toddler and baby will get good quality and well regulated care until they start school but I certainly cannot pick them up at 3.15pm when school ends and I’m concerned that they will be in poor quality before and after school care, eating junk food and wiling away the hours each day until my husband or I can pick them up. I think there is a lot of focus on early years care and not enough on before/after school care where a lot of children spend many hours each week. Is there any information/commitment by the government to ensure this type of care is also highly regulated and of a good quality?
Thank you.
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Before and After School Programs are under the same directives and regulations and are visited by the Regulatory Authority just like all Child Care Centres …
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Birdie, I feel your concern. After school care centres do seem to have huge staff turnover. The after school care centre at our local school is totally at the mercy of the staff they have at the time. Sometimes the care appears to be good and children actually enjoy going there. And then the wonderful staff leave and the next carers arent that good…supervision is poor, activities minimal and children dont want to go.
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Prime Minister, do you ever sigh and think, ‘It’s bloody tough being PM in 2012. Menzies never had to stress about childcare funding.’
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Menzies also didn’t have a 24 hour news cycle, bloggers and endless polling!
But on the flip side it would have taken much longer to get from Canberra to Perth.
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Prime Minister
The introduction of the EYLF and NQS is a positive change for the early years learning sector. Unfortunately all the good intentions of this positive change will be lost unless we do something to reduce the burden on staff and operators because the introduction these significant reforms continues to be rushed into the sector.
I have personal experiences with a large number of staff who are at breaking point. They are stressed, disheartened and overloaded and unfortunately ready to leave a profession they feel so passionate about.
Financial compensation is one avenue to ensure we keep these passionate people, but we also need to address the significant expectations we are now placing on the industry and look at introducing this in a fashion that supports those who are implementing it, rather than placing more pressure on an already fragile workforce.
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AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well said … I agree – we need EYLF and NQS and NQR but it is one thing to say “do this” and quite another to find the time DURING WORKING HOURS to complete the additional paperwork … FUND US NOW!
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Thank you thank you thank you! You’ve nailed it John. I’m an ECT & have found that I’m teaching in a completely different industry from the one I entered 20 years ago. And I fear that I won’t have the 40 year career that I expected.
We’ve always said that we do this job for love not money, but the love is definitely wearing thin, between the ridiculous paperwork (signing on & off the floor?), changes in children and parenting styles making behaviour issues more difficult, fighting for recognition and pay all the while trying to give the children in our care the best possible start to their learning lives. I love the kids I teach and the people I work with and the environments in which I work, but I fear for the future of our industry.
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I totally agree. I am an owner operateor who is ECT trained and the overload and stress and addded responsibilities and the extra paper work these reforms are introducing is too much. My centre is now for sale as I’ve had enough. I can go work at Woolies for more pay and less stress to me and my family
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my son has autism , we live overseas mainly because the special needs schools are by far so much easier to access, tell me why we should not be afraid to return to australia since getting him into a facility seems to be such a huge challenge
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I have many years experience running community based child care centress in WA. I have seen many fabulous staff leave due to poor working conditions. This is disheartening especially when we offered above award conditions too. What support can the Federal Government provide to the staff who enable Australians to go to work? Without us, this country cannot do its job.
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I don’t have a question … Just wanted to say that I think you’re doing a great job and you’ll always have my vote.
(a little positive encouragement is never unwarranted!)
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Why is it more costly for before and after school care
You do the right thing and work
But then before and after school care is soo costly
Why doesn’t the government assist more
Even if at tax time you could claim a percentage back on tax ?
What do you think PM Gillard ??
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Pic Caption:
Prime Minister Gillard and Rear Admiral Freedman discuss naval and post-natal strategy.
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LOL. That was gold.
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Best comment of the day gold star to you!
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LOVE IT!
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Prime Minister,
I am writing on behalf of the many wonderful childcare workers out there like myself who are caught at both ends of the spectrum. As a director I commend you on having the foresight to introduce the NQF and improve the quality of the sector. As a director I find it very hard to retain quality staff as their pay grade is so low. I have been at the same centre for ten years and find it increasingly difficult to explain to my families why the staff turnover is so high and as a parent myself I worry about the continuity of care.
I love my job and obviously am here for the children not for the pay, but I too now have to rethink my future as I have just recently become a single mother. I have a 6 year old and a 14 mth old. I travel for 2 hours each day to get to and from work and have done so for four years. Now that I am a sole carer I may have to leave the sector to find a better wage elsewhere. It disheartens me to have to think this way but I earn too much for the single parent benifit, but my childcare fees take up almost half of my wages each fortnight.
I feel that there needs to be a balance as all of us adore children and want to be a part of the formative years of their lives. Childcare is such an important part of a child’s life as no one can put a price on the skills that these children learn whilist in care. You cannot teach life skills to a child who is 6 years of age.
Losing such passionate people will be so detrimental to the sector. Please, as both a childcare worker and a parent, find a way to gain the balance and look after those who give so much of themselves to create a better future for the next generation.
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Hi Emma,
I loved what you said. And I cannot agree more. As a mother of two children in a wonderful child care centre, I believe the biggest issue by far is the turn over of quality staff due to low pay. Many of the staff at our centre, like you, live very far away from their place of work. This adds such a big pressure in additional travel time each day after a long day with children. They have to live far away because they cannot afford the rent closer to the city.
We want to see quality staff stay in childcare and I believe the Prime Minister and Minister Ellis must do something to address this very quickly. The turn over staff rates are out of control.
Child care workers are doing such an important job for our young people. They are just as important as teachers. Their pay should be equal to teachers. They are now required by law to do just as much study as a primary school teacher.
The Government must make the childcare profession more esteemed through increasing both the pay and educational subsidies that are available to qualified child care workers.
I understand this has a cost impact on fees. I personally would rather see more done in this area than in reducing child care fees and increasing subsidies for parents.
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Hi Fiona,
Thanks so much for your comments. It really is nice to know that all the wonderful childcare workers do have the support of wonderful families. It means so much
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This isn’t a question for the PM, but rather for all the husbands who have here commented that “it is more financially advisable for my wife to stay home.”
Just curious – did you make that decision, or did she? Why isn’t it equally financially advisable for *you* to stay home?
There are some serious assumptions going unquestioned here, and as a young woman it’s really disheartening to read that so few men would consider that maybe childrearing is an equal partnership between man and wife.
So I guess a question for the PM is, what kind of legislative measures have you taken/would you like to take to make it easier for parents to have shared-care arrangements? How can we encourage workplaces to make it easier for both mothers and fathers to spend time caring for their children and being in the workforce?
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In general men are paid more than women, so that is probably why the husbands are commenting that the wife stays home not them. I’m sure if the husband was the one earning less then of course the roles would be reversed for those commenters.
My partner and I don’t have children, but in the future when we do he would love to able to stay home with the kids but due to him earning more than me it just wouldn’t be able to work that way.
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… In which case I guess the question is, Prime Minister, what can be done to redress the still shocking gap in average wage between men and women? :-/
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I think you have a point. Those comments reflect that there is still a big “equal pay” issue in today’s society. Men earn more than women so it makes more sense for them to continue working….
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To answer your second question first, I earn 40% more than my wife. If it was the other way around, I’d be a stay at home Dad in a flash. In fact, when redundancies just ripped through my industry, we’d already agreed she’d go back to work for a while (to keep her career going) and I’d stay at home.
As for your question, “did you make that decision, or did she?” I LOL’d. Couldn’t an option be a joint decision? I think you no understand marriage.
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Hey Idle Dad, I’m not married but I am in a long term relationship so yeah I totally get people make decisions together and that.
There was just something in the tone of some of those comments that felt/sounded really, I don’t know, protectionist, as presumptive that *of course* it would be The Woman who stayed at home, because that is what is Natural and Right, and women were only going to work for the money anyway, not any feelings of desire to have a career or anything.
Obviously that’s not every person’s sentiment or intention. The vibe just got my back up.
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I earnt more than my husband but I stay home with our girls. Financially it would have been better for him to, and he would have liked to, but I couldn’t do it. I wanted to be the one with my babies, I wanted to breastfeed for at least a year, I wanted to be their full time carer. Luckily he didn’t mind and has taken on a second job. Selfish? Unfeminist? I don’t care, it works for us all.
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My question realtes to qualification and studies in the Early Childhood Sector. I have worked in childcare for 5 years and have commited to studying during this whole period as I want to be able to provide the best care and educaiton for young chidlren. However under the current award, my pay only increases slightly (50 cents a hour) when I finish my qualifications which will take two years and require a lot more responsibility.
My question is, how do you expect to encourage people to continue to update thier qualifications which will enable them to provide quality care, if there is no pay incentive?
Thank you Meridyth McKauge
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Look into HECS/HELP benefit. Its is worth $1600 each year for students who have completed an EC degree (there is 2 if you are eligiable).
This incentve has enabled mysel to study 2 ECT degrees. Google ATO HECS/HELP benefit
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As a director of an early learning centre for over 30 years, I have seen many changes to the profession, especially in recent years. I, personally think it is great that we now have a national quality framework, and that acknowledgements are being made in relation to the importance of a child’s first five years of development. This government is also supporting families financially, allowing for affordable care through the child care rebate (CCR).
However, I wish to propose a question relating to the support and acknowledgement of the child care professional. Child care professionals are obviously a necessity for providing quality care and education for Australia’s children, but they are still among the lowest paid professionals, and I wish to know if this is an area your government will be addressing in the near future?
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Why does the government not offer more benefits toward the cost of child care? Even if it is a bit like the health fund rebate system .
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the government offers loads of benefits and assistance we are one of the luckiest countries in this instance
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I know this isn’t on topic but I just want to say Julia, that whilst I do not agree with every single one of your policies (you can never please everyone 100% of the time), I think you are fantastic. I think you do an amazing job and deal with all the crap that get’s thrown your way with grace and strength. You are a brilliant role model and an admiral person. Thanks for taking us on!
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Well said Sophie!
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My question is regarding kinder which seems to get lost in the whole childcare debate. It is very important that stand alone kinders (as in not part of long day care) are properly supported to allow them to continue to be an option for families. It is becoming increasingly hard for parent led committees to forfill all the requirements on a volunteer basis, I would like to see early childhood pre schools as part of the umbrella of primary schools, especially as more and more research is being done to support the importance of the early years, is this something that could or is being considered? Ps Julia you are doing a great job, and you are an inspiration as a women and leader
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I don’t wish to diminish the great work child carers do, but for those below complaining that working in child care pays less than woolies, I’d like to point out you get to do a job you love!
Yes, you could earn more at woolies but you would be bored brainless.
Now I agree that with the increased qualifications required you should get a pay increase – Great!
However please remember that some of the most rewarding jobs pay the least – because they are rewarding in other ways.
(FYI I work at a university research centre for 47K per year, so I am on a similar wage to you, but again have a great privilage to do something I love!)
To the PM and Minister Ellis,
Keep up the good work!
Not everyone will agree with everything, and not every program will work as planned, but as long as you keep trying Something we will figure it out in the end. We truely are a lucky country.
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Yes we do love our job, but does that mean we have to accept a life of poverty because of it. For quite some time we have been more than just carers, we are responsible for the education of these children during these years and we are appropriately qualified educators fulfilling this role. And quite honestly if our educators were receiving a wage similar to yours then they would be much happier than they are now and could afford to stay in the profession. What you need to understand is an educator in an Early Years Centre actually receives on average approximately $12000 a year LESS than you. Our educators take on the responsibility for the social and emotional well-being and the education of these young children for on average $18 per hour. This DOES NOT equate to $47000 per year.
Finally we have a framework that highlights the importance of quality, professionalism and consistency within the sector, but without addressing the wage crisis these key factors will never be achieved.
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Hi Coralee
I would just like to clarify that you do great work! Im certain you work harder and longer than I do (hey, its 10am and I am on mamamia!) and certainly deserve to be renumerated for your hard work. The $47K refered to a comment lower down of a child care worker quoting how much she gets – she is obviously luckier than most then!
My comment simply meant to say that you cant compare early education wages to woolies wages as early posters were doing. Sometimes you have to pay more to really boring jobs, and sometimes you have to earn less to do something you love.
No offense meant. Keep up the great work.
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Thanks, Walking on Sunshine no offense taken. The reference to Woolies is more a comparison between unqualified industries and qualified industries. And when educators are spending 4+ years studying to obtain the required qualifications for an industry that pays lower wages than an industry requiring no qualifications, the problem becomes retaining those qualified staff and meeting the required standards.
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So should lawyers and CEOs who love their job take a huge pay cut so that they earn less than the teenagers at woolies? Get real.
The sacrifices that people make for a job they love are reflected in the time they spend doing extra training, seeking out new literature and theories, attending birthday parties of the kids they care for etc. If you work full time (not casual) in Family Day Care all of this is done in your own time, without the joy of RDOs, holiday pay or sick leave.
The ‘woolies’ comments refer to the responsibilities and expertise that people in early childhood require as compared to ‘check out chicks’. What’s more important your groceries or your kids? That child care workers are paid so poorly is a reflection of the lack of respect they receive.
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Prime Minister and Minister Ellis, I’d firstly like to say I admire your work. I think your government is *doing* a great job, and its a mystery to me how things can get so distorted in public perception.
Anyway……
I’m on the volunteer management committee for a small community pre-school in a fairly remote, low-income area in NSW. Now I know pre-school is not the same as childcare, but from a parent’s point of view there is a lot of overlap in the issues. I think the new regulations and Early Years Learning Framework are wonderful and I fully support them. It’s terrific to see early childhood education being taken seriously.
But.
It comes at a cost and small country centres are really struggling to meet that cost. At the moment our centre has a project deficit for this financial year of $20 000. A couple of BBQs at Bunnings doesn’t even come close to covering that. I have, of course, been to our local State MP who passed my concerns on to the Minister for Education who eventually replied with (I paraphrase) “your enrolments have stayed the same so your funding will not change”. Yes our enrolments have stayed the same – we’re in a remote area, there’s only so many kids around – but our costs have risen, and they are mostly fixed.
The education department has suggested to us that we either increase fees or reduce the number of days that we are open. Neither of these options are in any way sustainable. Our families simply can’t afford higher fees, and reduced days means no flexibility for families.
I can’t imagine that either state or federal governments would intend that kids in bigger towns and cities have access to higher quality early childhood education, *but that kids in remote areas get nothing at all*. Yet this will be exactly the outcome if centres like ours do not get some meaningful help and quickly. Its all kinds of wrong.
I actually didn’t mean this to turn into quite such a rant, but I’m quite passionate about it. Again, I know its not exactly childcare, but for most of our families its the only “childcare” option they have, and its so important for our kids.
Many thanks for reading.
Leonie.
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I think the stuff you are doing around improving ratios at child care centres and improving qualifications of staff are excellent. As a parent I don’t want my child to go to a bad child care centre – but your government never seems to get the cudos for these changes it should. Why is that?
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Dear PM and Kate Ellis MP,
I am a Father of 3 children, and currently a stay at home dad (by choice), my wife works F/T and I receive no Govt assistance (and don’t want it either) However after reading these previous post’s the are 2 main points that i feel need addressing.
1. Staff are underpaid, thats very obvious and from limited research I have done, you would earn more money cleaning a shopping centre than working in childcare.
2. To many placements are being taken up by people who simply don’t need, I mean, I know a few people (and we probably all do here) Who don’t work, Don’t Study and use their “Care days” for socialising. This really strikes a chord with me, Last year i decided to study 2 days a week, and was fortunate enough to get a placement in Our local Centre for the 2 days i was studying, My child started on my first day of study and finished on my last day of study, after speaking with the Director of the centre, I advised her that during the school holidays my child would not attend and that she should make those places available for anyone who needs them, which she had no problems doing, and she was very grateful and I even got a thank you letter of the parent who was able to access those additional days.
My point is we need to some how reduce the placements for people who are eligible for 100% CCB and increase it placements for people at say 75% CCB eligible, and people who receive Government benefits should have to prove they need the care, i mean looking for work does not entitle you to Child Care, If these people can find someone to look after there kids when they go to the pub on friday night, surely they can get someone to look after there child when they go for a job interview.
I along with the Majority are sick of missing out because people rort the system constantly
Regards,
Jarrad
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Hi Jarrod,
The 50% rebate for out of pocket child care expenses isn’t means tested – so long as you access an ‘approved service’ you would be getting at least half the costs back from the Family Assistance Office.
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Not necessarily Suzie. It is activity tested – Jarrad wouldn’t be eligible for the 50% child care rebate as a stayathome dad (single income family).
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That’s a shame, because I think this would deter a stay at home parent from providing their child with access to Early Childhood education. An early childhood service provides children the opportunity to engage in on-going interactions with peers which in turn builds their coperative play skills (essential for life long learning). Staying at home with one parent is lovely, but doesn’t offer cooperative play opportunities available at an Early Childhood Service.
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Thats why people who dont work and who send their kids to traditional preschools get fed up with this argument. If you work and use childcare support is available. If you dont work and care for your children at home but want to provide them with necessary preschool education support is not readily available in all areas.
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Jarred I dont think we can generalise about people who we assume dont need childcare. I know one family who appears to be very wealthy and people judge that they send their kids to childcare when they dont need to have both parents working. Mum is a highly trained professional, as is Dad and if they werent working the many people they help would be without their wonderful skills.
I know a couple of mums who dont work and it would be assumed they didnt ‘need’ to use childcare a few days per week either. But they had postnatal depression and those days of childcare were suggested by their Doctors and actually helped them get back on their feet and enjoy their children again.
Peoples lives arent always as they appear to be.
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So true anon. I was a SAHM but my husband is in the military. So when he deployed for 9 months straight my one day/week was the only break I ever got. We were posted far away from family and support networks. I was trying to survive it and hate to think people are so judgemental when knowing so little about other families.
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I am not a fan of John Howard, but he did put forward one good idea about child care and that was: trying to work out a way that grandparents and other family members can be paid to be child carers. A lot of tired looking nanas and grandpas would be grateful for this and it would stop childcare shortages and make childcare for kids with disabilities easier. Grandparents who are attuned to a disabled child’s needs are probably much better carers for these kids than crowded childcare centres where the workers are busy already. I know kids who have been “expelled” from childcare because of there disabilities.
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I understand what you are saying and agree that grandparents can and do provide a very loving and nurturing environment for these children. But the key factor missing in a lot of these conversations is that these Centres and Educators are not just carers, they are fully qualified in the education of young children. They also have access to a lot of inclusion and disability support agencies that can assist and support both the children with the disability and the educator that is responsible for the planning of their education and development. This is important for these children and is not something that they will get at home without specialist professionals.
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Dear Julia and Kate,
Thanks so much for coming to speak with Mamamia readers, and answering our questions.
My 3 1/2 year old attends a private preschool (which is attached to a school that goes up to Year 12) three days a week, and since he started there earlier this year, he has been flourishing and learning so much every day. Our preschool fees are very expensive though, particularly as we are living on one modest income at the moment (as I am currently at home looking after an eight month old), and I think it would be great if they could be subsidised like childcare fees currently are. I think preschool is in most cases a far better alternative than childcare for children aged between 3 and 5, but the cost and the fact that there’s no rebate available is something that puts a lot of parents off sending their children to preschool rather than a childcare centre. Early education is so important, and it would be great if more could be done to help parents who would like to send their children to preschool rather than daycare in preparation for school.
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Dear prime minister,
I would like to know what is being done to address inconsistencies between state and federal systems?
I am an early childhood teacher who has a bachelor of teaching in early childhood and an associate diploma of education and child care. I am approved by the office of early childhood education and care and acecqa. However My centre cannot receive funding for the QLD kindy program as they will not recognise my qualification.
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Sorry I couldn’t answer every question – I have been typing as fast as I can. Please stay in the conversation. I want to hear from you. Thanks Julia Gillard
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i just want to say that prior to you doing this i didnt really know where i was going to put my vote in the next election… now i do! well played prime minister…. you have restored my faith simply by listening!
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Hi – I have my daughter in full time child care and know that her carers are absolutely fantastic. I want them to be able to receive the wages that they deserve for all their hard work and for all the care and support they give my child.
I think that any solution, has to take into consideration the fact that higher child care fees are often prohibitive for families and that it can result in women deciding not to return to the workforce, or alternatively returning to the workforce after having children, but with very little financial benefit to doing so.
Thanks
Laura
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Dear Julia and Kate,
I have worked in the child care industry since 2007 and am currently studying my Bachelor of Early Childhood in Canberra as a mature international (Europe) student .
New research that shows that 80% of the brain is developed during the first three years of a child’s life increases the importance of young children’s education. The EYLF and new staff requirements stimulate a further professionalisation of the sector, which still needs a lot of work. I would prefer a situation where all staff have a university degree and are as committed to teaching as school teachers, and get paid proper wages. This also means that university courses need to be at appropriate levels and have a true focus on early childhood, so that teachers are properly prepared for this age group (instead of primary school students). If universities can not provide the appropriate content or tutors/lecturers (one of my tutors said that we – the students – probably knew more about the EYLF than she did), they should not offer the course. My course sadly does not focus on early childhood, fortunately I have already done my Cert III, Diploma and Advanced Diploma.
To make sure that the focus is on the children, I further believe that child care centres should not be owned by big companies, who generally focus on making money instead of supplying the right staff and sufficient resources.
Changes in the child care industry cost money, however, if Australia takes its future seriously, it needs to put more money into education and always keep it as a priority.
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Is there an election coming up..or something!
Lets hear it from Craig Thomson.
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Hi Julia and Kate,
I think these forums are great and I found lots of useful info from the last one that Kate was a part of.
I have been having some difficulty getting a straight answer from Family Assistance about rebates as far as Registered Care goes. Ideally we would like to use a nanny for our 3 children 1 day a week so I could return to my part time job as a nurse. We understand that the nanny needs to be a Registered Carer to apply for any benefit but then the information becomes very confusing…
The website suggests (and Kate’s last forum also suggested) that people can qualify for subsidised registered care if they meet certain criteria, some of which we do. eg 3 children under school age and working shiftwork.
However, one page states the childcare benefit is NOT means tested for Registered Care in this case, and then another page states it is. When I asked at Family Assistance they seemed to think that we would receive whatever rebate we get at our current childcare centre. The website doesn’t give this impression.
HELP! Would you be able to clarify this side of things please? I’m sure there are many people who would benefit from in home care but can’t afford it, and surely this would make a difference in vacating some valuable places in childcare centres.
Thanks,
Beck
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Hi Julia,
It looks like I won’t be able to receive the parental leave allowance when I have my first baby in October as, after a career of low earnings, in my first year as a barrister I am just over the income cut-off point.
However, my husband’s income is significantly less than mine. From everything I have read, it looks like I have to apply for the allowance and then transfer it to him – which effectively rules out both of us.
Is this right? It seems to have some discriminatory assumptions underlying it …
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Hi Anonymous
Do you think its fair that someone on a low income has to help you and your husband pay for your maternity leave?
While I think employers really should pay for maternity leave and that if that’s not universally being achieved through bargaining (which it’s not) then it should be legislated. However, if the Government is helping, I kind of think there should be some cut of, as government money should be directed to make society more equal.
Obviously bargaining/campaigning for employers to pay maternity will not assist in your case – but I’m sure you understood the downside to becoming a Barrister is that you are working for yourself. Luckily the upside for you is you can charge a lot for it !
Best of luck
Michelle
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Welcome Prime Minister.
I once read an interview where you said you are often presented with a disproportionate amount of red-haired children when you visit schools and childcare centres. Just in case you haven’t met enough today, here is a pic of my red-haired boy.
Love your work!
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Go the Rangas!
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CRINGE…….
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Just want to say, the PM is missing the point, its not that parents can’t afford school fees because of raised prices, what she fails to comprehend is that all these ridiculous new regulations have greatly affected the workers themselves. My mother, auntie and grandmother own a childcare centre and there workers as well as themselves have felt the impact of these stupid regulations put in place. Excess money is needed to be spent in order to meet these requirements, thus resulting the the constant fee increase. I know this comment won’t get anywhere but we need to be heard cause it’s ridiculous. I believe the Governments plan is to implement all these stupid regulations in order to either bankrupt or close down all private centres and bring out government funded centres, adding to more tax payers money, I WANT TO BE HEARD!!!
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Dear Ms Gillard and Ms Ellis
When I wrote this article for BRW http://tiny.cc/bobifw a few issues came up.
Figures from the Bureau of Statistics showed that as at June 2011 there were almost 70,000 Australian mums out of the workforce solely because they couldn’t find affordable childcare – representing 15 per cent of all unemployed females. A further 13 per cent of respondents would work more if they could access childcare. However according to the Child Care Vacancies Quarterly, released by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, 91 per cent of reporting centres have spots available. How is this discrepancy explained?
My other query is around cost. A Commonwealth Bank study last year found that one in four families with children in care had one parent who works for no financial gain. Eleven per cent of those actually pay to work because their childcare fees outweigh their earnings, even with government assistance. The federal government contributes up to $7500 in fees per child in care each year. It is described as a 50 per cent rebate but this is only accurate if the childcare costs $62 a day as estimated by the Productivity Commission. If childcare costs $100 a day for a working parent with one child in day care five days a week, the rebate constitutes closer to one-third of fees. I am wondering when the productivity commission figure was last revised? It does not seem to reflect the real cost.
I’m interested to hear from MM readers – how much does your childcare cost per day? Is $62 accurate?
Georgie
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I was paying $85 a day for a 3yo and that was 5 years ago. I have just checked that centres website and currently for a 3yo they charge $103.
It was a great centre and better than most in the area.
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We have a fantastic, unique and high quality centre and do not charge that. We are between $62-$72 a day depending on age and number of days enrolled….i could not see where that cost comes from other than if they provide everything…nappies, meals, transport…we’re trying like everyone else to keep our financial head above water, but what the industry needs is for the educators to get a better wage before there are no high quality educators left who care….$18-$23 dollars an hour is not a fair wage based on study. qualifications, after hours work needed to address the new work load and study updates. But that is a very high cost..we are in Brisbane..come to us..lol
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Mine’s $77 per day, per child.
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$97.50 per day
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Ours is about to go up to $114 a day – outrageous.
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$63 a day
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I pay $72.50 a day for my 3 year old. My eldest started at the centre 5 years ago in the nursery and that was $70 per day then so the rate hasn’t really increased much since then, the fees go down as the children move up rooms.
I am grateful for any rebate and I was lucky that Labor got in just as my eldest started daycare so the rebate increased from 30% to 50%. I work 3 days a week so do not reach the $7.5k threshold. I think this also needs to be taken into account that not all kids go 5 days per week, parents may work part-time or have grandparents help out.
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Dear Prime Minister,
Whilst we applaud the intentions of the NQF and your commitment to improve the quality of Care and Education to the country’s most precious commodity – our children, we would like to know what plans and strategies you have in place to attract and retain high quality staff to implement the Framework.
Working in Child care can be incredibly rewarding but it it also exhausting both emotionally and physically. No one is arguing that we need to be accountable and transparent in our practices but to attract professional staff, we need to be paid and have the same conditions as other professionals.
You have promised 4 year qualified teachers to implement Kindergarten Programs. Where does this leave 3 year trained staff with over 25 years experience working in the sector who bring invaluable experience and knowledge to children? This has left some of our staff feeling redundant.
4 year Trained Teacher’s use child care as a stepping stone as a way to gain experience that will get them work in schools,not a long term career. Staff instability is very unsettling for children and parents. You need to attract and retain staff who have a passion for working with very young children and to do this we need wages and conditions that reflect this.
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Dear Prime Minister and Minister Ellis,
I don’t have a comment about childcare – I just wanted to say to keep your chin up. Thank you.
No need to reply.
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