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| Autumn 2004 |
Innovative childcare needed
A long term, comprehensive childcare policy that genuinely supports the increasing number of Australian working families is what our nation needs, says HACSU State Secretary, Chris Brown.
"Childcare is an integral but neglected part of balancing work and family responsibilities for more and more families with young children.
The provision of accessible and affordable childcare is essential to achieving this balance," Chris Brown said.
"There are a myriad of reasons why families need childcare assistance. Some families need two incomes to survive. Other parents can't afford not to work for a substantial period of time if they want to keep their job or maintain a meaningful career.
Childcare services can also provide a respite from home duties for parents who are not currently in the workforce."
Many families use childcare services: There are about 1.5 million Australian children under the age of five;
- Every year 150,000 new babies are born;
- By the time a child is in his or her second year, 57% of mothers are back in the workforce;
- By the time their children turn three, 68% of mothers are back in the workforce;
- In 2001, more than 830,000 children aged 0- 12 used some part of the childcare system.
Investing in the early years
The number of working families has been steadily increasing over the past decade. Parents need childcare services to be accessible, affordable and of high quality.
The early years of a child's life are the most important:
- 75% of a child's brain develops during their first five years;
- Half the intellectual and developmental potential of a child is established by the age of four.
We know anecdotally that there is a serious shortage of childcare places. The best estimates of shortages as at December 2002 are shown below.
A more planned approach, as opposed to the current ad hoc allocation of new places, would assist in meeting changing demographic needs and un-met demand due to caps on services. The government needs to:
- Acknowledge that market forces are inadequate in dealing with access to childcare facilities;
- Commit to seed funding to support the development of new centres in areas with un-met demand, such as in lower socio-economic communities, and rural or regional areas.
Shortages of Child Care Places
Outside school hours care
Family day care
Special needs children - based on 4,500 in Victoria alone
Aboriginal children's services- 40 towns with major Aboriginal populations with no Aboriginal children's services.
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