What's the future for the childcare industry?

**Floweryfields** · May 10th, 2011, 08:22 AM

Following on from discussion in another thread about fees.....where do you see childcare going?
As a director, I struggle, everyday with a pile of issues in this industry. Wages are a big one, as is retaining staff and getting qualified staff.
The govt has all of these brilliant ideas that we are expected to adhere to (like a bachelor qualified teacher in Qld next year), though the practical solutions of how to implement them just aren't there.

Childcare just can't compete with the other jobs that are out there....and seeing as alot of you ladies depend on it for your children, I am interested to know, how you see the future if the industry falls in a huge heap?

I have more to say, but ironically, I have to go to work....

**nothing2lose** · May 10th, 2011, 08:31 AM

Personally, I think it is really important to have a staff member with a Bachelor of Education. I would not send my child to a Centre that did not have one or two staff with this level of qualification.

There's a vast difference between kindergarten (as we call it here in Victoria) which is taught by a teacher with a Bachelor of Education and childcare/creche.

As a parent, I would prefer to pay extra money to ensure this is the case.

Just my two cents

**MrsFabuloso** · May 10th, 2011, 10:08 AM

Whilst I see the government is trying to make things better for the childcare industry, they're not doing the most important things for it, which is pump money into it. It has become a necessary service these days and needs so much more put into it, though will usually create very little return in way of money and tangible, real outcomes . People need to realise this. But in creating good solid basis' for the childcare industry, we would be creating solid foundations for children and families. And happy children and families are what the outsome needs to be in the long run.

**Miss E** · May 10th, 2011, 10:27 AM

Gee, this one really is a mine field, and I have to say that I really don't have the answers... At the moment Australia has a really low unemployment rate and I think a lot of industries are suffering as a result, child care (and education in general) included. I guess the only perspective I can really offer is that of a parent.

In terms of education levels of staff, yes I think that is important. But should it be mandated? I'm not so sure. My DS has only been in CC for just under a year and is in his second room (went from the babies room to the toddler room). Now I love the centre that he goes to, it has a great philosophy and some really dedicated staff. But TBH in my experience the quality of the staff seems to have little to do with their education level, I think it comes back to passion. In fairness his room leader last year who had qualifications was brilliant. And yes the room leader this year is also wonderful. But there is another team member in his room who is qualified, but TBH doesn't compare to the older lady who has no formal qualifications. The qualified one clearly has the books behind her, but in practice she lacks warmth and understanding IMO and when I have seen her discipline the children she just doesn't do it as well as the other lady. The other lady exubes warmth and love and genuine care for the children. So in my experience, I think you are either great at what you do or you're not and a degree can't necessarily change that...

But to get back to your original post, I think the government really needs to invest in the childcare industry. Especially because of the skills shortage Australia is grappling with. Extra funding is needed to allow the centres to attract and keep quality staff, but also to make it easier for parents to continue participating in the workforce.

Before having DS I was the 'bread winner' for want of a better term. I had a job that I loved that paid me quite well. I am now back at work 3 days a week and DS is in CC for those days. At this point in time I don't really want to put him in more, and on a personal level feel that I have a really good work/life balance. But from a public policy perspective the system is flawed. Financially it makes far more sense for me to work 3 days a week than 5. CC care costs $90 a day and while we're only doing 3 days it all gets the CCR. At the same time, because I am working less hours I fall into a lower tax bracket so am pocketing more. If I was to go up to 4 or 5 days, I would be paying more for CC (cos the rebate wouldn't cover those days) and earning less on a day by day basis because of the income tax ramifications. The extra money that I would bring in for sacrificing those two days with my child would be minimal and simply not worth it.

At the moment we are starting to think about TTC number 2. Now with just one child in CC I feel that my working part time is worthwhile, I contribute a reasonable amount of money to the family budget which enables us to live a certain quality of life. But when I start to do the sums based on what we would end up with if we had two children in CC part time, the financial incentive isn't so great. And then when you hear rumours that the govt plans on means testing the CCR, you start to think if they do that, then I would really have to consider not working, because I would be working 3 days and have very little to show for it after we paid the CC fees.

We're lucky because we're in the position where I don't 'have' to work. Things would be a lot tighter if I didn't but we would get by. I work because I find it fulfilling and feel that I need it to be the best mother that I can. Yes the financial benefit is good, but it's not the driver. But on the flip side of that, if the money I was actually pocketing was largely insignificant, I don't know if I could be so motivated... While we might earn more than the magic numbers the government puts forward, we're certainly not living a lavish lifestyle. Just basic living (housing, food, utilities) is very expensive where we live, so while our incomes might be above the govt's line we certainly need the assistance they offer in terms of the CCR (after all, where not eligible for any other form of assistance).

So after rambling on and on, I guess my point is that I see the Child Care system as being integral to the entire Australian economy. With the skills shortage the country has (and lets face it, it's been a good 5 years or more and there is no end in sight) a child care system that is in reach to all Australian's is essential to maintaining the workforce. If child care is too expensive, then there is no incentive for both parent to work, regardless of what income bracket they fall into. And if that incentive isn't there the economy will suffer, labor will become more and more expensive, the cost of living will increase more and more... And eventually we will have an overstimulated economy which can only go one way...

So, I guess, from my perspective the govt needs to invest heavily in childcare because in a lot of ways it underpins the sustainability of most other industries.

**onthefly** · May 10th, 2011, 10:43 AM

I think we need quality childcare, definitely. But to be honest, I think a lot more effort needs to be made, by both the private sector and government, to make workplaces more family friendly. It seems absurd to build an economy where both parents often need to work, then take tax dollars to fund childcare places. We should have guaranteed parental leave schemes (for both parents, at least 6 months), and flexible work arrangements for parents of small children, onsite creches, etc, etc. I know lots of people and businesses will jump up and down about how expensive that is, but I'm pretty sure if you work it out, including all the tax dollars that go into things like baby bonus, CCB, CCR, etc, and the lost productivity to private enterprise, not to mention the social cost of children who see so little of their parents (and vice versa), it would be feasible.
Childcare IS expensive. Of course it is and frankly it should be. It's vitally important that children are well cared for. Maybe this isn't always the best way to do it, you know?

**BrightSparkles** · May 10th, 2011, 11:22 AM

i keep trying to tell our manager that he needs to put a creche in (we are a training org - so in theroy it could work to the benefit of the organistion) and more than hald his staff have one or more kids but his response..... "too many issues - kids dying, kids running away - to much hassle"

if this the mind set then we are doomed.

**Miss E** · May 10th, 2011, 12:17 PM

It's interesting because there is occassionally a bit of a push here about setting up some kind of childcare facility. But TBH even if we did do it, I don't think I would want DS to go to it. The centre my DS goes to is brilliant, it has an excellent approach, great facilities and fantastic staff. Anything that my company would create would probably only have the one carer and be restricted to the one room. Because of the small scale (it wouldn't service any more than 5 or 6 kids tops, of different ages too), I honestly don't believe that DS would get nearly as much out of it as he does from his current centre. The only benefit it would provide would be proximity to me. And to be honest, if DS is going to be in CC I want him to get as much out of it as possible and for it to be a positive thing in his life, rather than just filling time away from mum.

Obviously, it is different for big companies with hundreds of staff who can run a viable centre of a certain scale where it is able to offer the children a range of opportunities. But, for small to medium businesses, I don't know that it is in the childrens best interest. For babies, yes it would be good, but for toddlers and older children, I'm not so sure.

Please don't shoot me, just my opinion.

**Cally** · May 10th, 2011, 12:41 PM

Onsite creches would be no good in rural regional areas - I work for a very large state government department - but we are in a regional area and only have 8 in the office, DD is the only one using childcare so there still needs to be those private suppliers of childcare.

I agree that the passion of the carers is the most critical thing. And for that, they need to get paid a decent amount. I don't know how that can be funded, I am astonished at the cost of the daily fees in the cities. We only have 3 centres that we had to choose from when we were looking. The first place was small and I could not imagine all those children fitting in the room when it was pouring with rain outside. The second place had the most unmotivated people working there I had ever seen. When we walked out I told DH I would rather drive 30 minutes each way to the next town than send her there. The third place had happy children, carers who were interested in us and the children there and obviously loved their jobs. This has been ongoing as DD has moved up through the different rooms in the centre. The qualifications of the staff were not something that we were at all interested in when we were looking - it just felt right.

Also one thing which I think needs to be addressed more (particularly in NSW) is preschools. The number of publicly funded preschools is pathetic. Coming from the ACT, each primary school has a preschool attached to it with 15 hours (I think) of education provided for kids the year before they start kindy. Providing more preschools would make a massive difference to the education levels of our children as well as take some of the load off the childcare centres.

**Pandora** · May 10th, 2011, 05:48 PM

Bath - I have PMd you. Please forgive my apparent lack of grammatical skills when you read it.

**MrsFabuloso** · May 10th, 2011, 06:20 PM

I don't disagree with having a qualified teacher, but attracting them to the industry is very hard. It's fine the the govt implement these ideas, but how, practically, do we get people to the industry? Very few teachers want to swap the wage and hours at schools for the wage and much longer hours in cc - plus only 4 weeks holiday per year.....

That is why there should be more emphasis on people doing the Bach. of Teach. in EARLY Childhood. Not Primary Teaching.

[QUOTE=ausgirl;2800435]And I can tell you, without doubt, any child care worker finds it frustrating and offensive that we are viewed as offerring nothing further than babysitting services. Yes, I totally agree with you, we aren't there to be teaching formal learning, children have 12/13 years of that ahead of them. BUT you cannot say that we aren't teaching them anything - because we most definitely are!!! We teach them independence, self worth, how to share, that there are other people in the world that matter too, how to care for themselves and others.....I could go on and on, but I won't.....[/QUOTE.]

I think you may have misread what I said. I am in no way implying we don't teach anything. We teach way more than people think. But not in ways that may be terribly tangible. Children may not go home reciting the alphabet like their mum asked us to teach them that morning, but now they have a grasp of the fact that print has meaning. Maybe they can't tell us that they're playing with the blue car, but they can now group things into colours.

Childcare workers are way undervalued. I have studied for 4yrs just like anyone else with a bachelors degree, plus I have my diploma in social sciences. And I have 18yrs experience in the job. Noone I know with such skills and qualifications gets so underpaid. It's not worth me going back to work to put my children in childcare I would be paying more in fees than I would be earning. Ridiculous, hey?

**Mak** · May 10th, 2011, 06:20 PM

Definitely there are some owners making quite a bit of $$ - I am not sure how the societal change can occur so the pay is commensurate with responsibility and experience, as it tends to be in occupations that are not for profit (although many cc are privately owned), like nursing, teaching that the pay vs responsibility level is not on par with the private sector IMO. I am biased of course cos I work in a public hospital and have lots of responsibility!

**Astrid** · May 10th, 2011, 07:02 PM

I certainly believe that Childcare Centres should not be privately owned. Any profit should be put back into them. I like that the local council runs 3 of the centres in town, it helps share the load of admin costs and allows staff and children to move between centres with ease.

I do not expect any "structured" learning to be happening, more the play based/life skills learning as has already been mentioned.

I dearly wish the Childcare and Kindergarten were more integrated with the school system. At the moment it is so disjointed and I honestly feel like the kids get chopped and changed around so much as they move through the different levels. Certainly the Kinder year needs to be better combined with some childcare, as the current hours are difficult to work with. Down here only certain centres and kinders provide both services, to access one often means no continuity with the primary school that the child would be going to.

**Crystalwings** · June 7th, 2011, 04:40 PM

I'm soon finishing my maternity leave after taking 8mths off and the changes the industry have seen over this time are huge. I believe that the cost of childcare will continue to go beyond the reach of normal working parents in the future if the government doesn't inject more money and incentive into funding quality services.

I also find some changes very refreshing and exciting such as the introduction of The Early Years Learning Framework. I think it is a great tool for helping to teach parents about our role in supporting children to reach their full potential. Yes we provide a nurturing environment in which to care for children but i feel that i am also paid to help develop children's skills in all aspects of their life. Good quality childcare does set out goals based on the children's interests and needs and it's up to us to educate parents about whats developmentally appropriate. I also think that it's about looking for teachable moments and dedication to following what the children want to learn about. While making balls with the dough for instance "lets make big ball and a little ball with this yellow dough" your child has just learnt about size, shape and colours etc. Documenting this shows parents how to teach children through play by role modelling. Having a drawing centre with words and letters to copy if the child is interested is another way to role model to parents how children learn when it's child directed. I agree there are alot of disillusioned staff in CC right now because there is so much change but at the end of the day CC will continue to operate because without it the country would stop. It gets under my skin also that the industry is so fragmented between different sectors defining our job. CC workers don't band together like other industries because there is so much nastyness between community based and private CC.
I send my child to a community based centre because i love the staff and they have a great play based learning program. I work in a independent private childcare centre which is equally as great and has twice the equipment is overstaffed etc. Don't just diss out a centre thats private before looking at the merits of the individual service. There was actually a study completed which said that independent private childcare did equal the quality of community based organisations.

My service has a range of qualified and unqualified staff and we balance each other out. While i might be good at programming and documentation my team mate might be great at remembering to take little Johnnie to the toilet and making sure all the nappy charts are filled out.
I think that it's a good thing to get all staff to do cert 3 but don't really agree with the early childhood teacher when we already have 3 diplomas with over 50yrs experience between us. When that teacher comes in what is she going to provide us with that we aren't already doing???

Anyway i am very passionate about this topic so i'll stop now lol

**cathie5** · June 7th, 2011, 10:42 PM

I owned My own centre for 5 years and I believe that the bigger centres will end up running the sector and the small centres will close. That's the future of child care

**Melly01** · June 9th, 2011, 07:29 AM

Hollo, that is exactly what I was going to say. However, as I have been called a glorified babysitter and told I was silly for being at university for 3 years "just to get a degree in nappy changing", by people who have asked me what I do, I got a bit upset and couldn't articulate myself properly. But, I agree, so thank you for posting that!

Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk

**Fleur** · June 9th, 2011, 07:35 AM

However, as I have been called a glorified babysitter and told I was silly for being at university for 3 years "just to get a degree in nappy changing", by people who have asked me what I do, I got a bit upset and couldn't articulate myself properly. But, I agree, so thank you for posting that!

Wow, that's just plain rude

- and as I said, just because I don't feel that educating my 22 month old is of as much importance at this age, doesn't mean I don't value the job her carers so. Quite the opposite. I wonder if the person who made that comment to you had children in care?

**Crystalwings** · June 9th, 2011, 09:07 AM

At the risk of repeating myself and PP the learning or educational part becomes intuitive when you work with children. I find it sad that parents underestimate what goes in to this type of learning. It's about following YOUR children's interests and offering provisions which will extend your children and help them reach there full potential. There is no hidden agenda. Perhaps fdc or a babysitter would be a better choice if that is the care you desire.