General News
18 November, 2023
Country deserves child care choice: report
A NATIONAL lobby group has used Loddon case studies in its push for sustainable child care solutions in rural communities. The Parenthood has echoed calls from local communities for more than two years that rural families deserve a choice in...
A NATIONAL lobby group has used Loddon case studies in its push for sustainable child care solutions in rural communities.
The Parenthood has echoed calls from local communities for more than two years that rural families deserve a choice in affordable, accessible, high quality early childhood education and care.
Its report released on Monday comes as Loddon communities wait on a State Government decision on a co-located child care centre in the shire.
The centre was promised during the election campaign 12 months ago with talks this year between the Government, Loddon Shire Council and schools on a location.
Wedderburn College has been pushing for a child care centre since May 2021. Parents have said the lack of local child care - Loddon Shire is the only 100 per cent child care desert in Victoria - is hampering local businesses in staff recruitment and employment and putting rural communities at a disadvantage.
The Parenthood report includes the experiences of Boort’s Jacinta Sutton whose daughter currently attends child care one day a week in Kerang. However, that spot had only become available when her daughter had turned three. Jacinta told The Parenthood that she also relied on her mother for child care, that saw her mother drive 112km each time.
She says that even when her children are at kindergarten, the Boort area remained without access to care outside kinder hours.
A Wedderburn mother is quoted in the report saying: “In 2020 I had my first child. I had been working full time prior to COVID and pregnancy.
“After I had my daughter my return to work became difficult, the closest daycare centre being 45 minutes to one hour drive away.
“Keeping her at home wasn’t an option as a child on a conference call wasn’t professional or acceptable. I have no family surrounding me and little help.
“Fast forward to 2023, I am yet to return to work and have started to study early childhood education in the hopes of bringing a solution to my town rather than add to the growing problem.
“I have had to travel an hour to study and put my children into daycare and travel the hour home which makes family life very difficult,” the Wedderburn mother said.
The Parenthood CEO Jessica Rudd said: “In its interim report in September 2023, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission found the market can’t and won’t deliver in rural, regional and remote communities across Australia.
“We cannot wait any longer for the private sector to provide what the public must: a universal, child-based entitlement to quality early learning - just like the rest of our schooling system.”