Families desperate for more childcare

THERE are 216 families on the Phillip Island Early Learning Centre’s waiting list.

For a centre that has 250 families enrolled, 34 staff and as many as 176 children, aged six weeks to six years, under the roof at any one time, that’s a lot.

But they’re not on their own.

Childcare centres across the region, across Australia, are in the same boat.

At the Karmai Community Children’s Centre in Korumburra, built in 2017, and already expanded twice, they have a waiting list of 130 families.

The 8 per cent increase in fees last year, with more hikes on the way, is an issue but simply finding a place in childcare, afterschool care, 3-year-old or 4-year-old kinder near where you live or work, at the right time, is a nightmare for many.

At Cowes, they are doing what they can, says campus principal Rod McKenzie, with the school community paying for two extra building to be constructed on the site to boost capacity at the main centre.

“We’re already the biggest early childhood centre in Gippsland. It’s an indication of how this area is growing,” says Mr McKenzie, indicating the site could handle more kids with more facilities.

But the shortage of places and rising fees isn’t even the biggest problem.

The biggest issue is not having enough early childhood educators to fill all the shifts.

So, essentially, some centres can’t accept the kids they’re allowed to take because they simply don’t have the staff.

And it’s not unusual for a centre to call a parent at work and ask them to come in and pick up their children early because they don’t have anyone to fill the next shift, or can’t reach the required staff-to-child ratio at a certain time.

Karmai Community Children’s Centre presently has vacancies for Cert III and Diploma in Early Childhood Educators for their afternoon shift (2pm-6pm), for casual rotating shifts (6am-6pm) and their after-school program.

The centre has capacity for 120 children at the centre, an additional 35 in their after-school program and 44 in the before-school group.

They can even take Bachelor of Education undergraduates for the after-school program, where they are all school-age kids.

But, again, the story of staff vacancies is the same all over.

The State Government is responding this year with a range of measures, including offering free TAFE and vocational education and training for applicants from the start of January 2023.

Funding for additional centres and the implementation of free kinder for 3-yearolds and 4-year-olds are other initiatives, but it doesn’t solve the staff crisis.

The State Government is hosting an education conference at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on Wednesday, February 15 that is expected to shed some light on the problems. The conference is also available online from 9am to 5pm.