Parents angry they’ve been billed for childcare sessions while their kids were in lockdown

SA parents are angry they’ve been billed for childcare and after-school care their kids couldn’t attend because of lockdown. Has this happened to you?

South Australian parents are angry they are being slugged childcare costs totalling hundreds of dollars during lockdown, despite having to keep their kids at home.

A father-of-two from Adelaide’s inner south has received a bill for $700, relating to childcare for his four-year-old and out of school hours care (OSHC) for his seven-year-old last week.

“It is a bit rough to be charged given it was lockdown and (the services) were only available for the children of essential workers,” the public sector worker, who asked not to be named, said.

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He said his wife, who also works full-time, called both the community-based after-school care provider as well as the private childcare centre to question the invoices.

“My wife was told by each that the invoice was not a mistake … OSHC (attached to the local public primary school) said it had been advised by the Education Department the fees were to stand,” he said.

“We also had to pay full rates for the week our younger child wasn’t at the childcare centre … it is our understanding the childcare centre hasn’t received any advice from the Federal Government in relation to refunds or discounts.

“It seems a little strange that your child is not allowed to physically go to the centre or after school care but you get charged full rates … it is certainly annoying.

“I really think the fees should be waived, or at least discounted in some form.

“As parents we are both still lucky to have our jobs but we’ve still incurred the costs … (it’s) $700 we can’t spend on other industries, such as hospitality.”

Parents have expressed frustration they’ve been charged for childcare sessions their kids couldn’t attend due to lockdown. Picture: iStock

Another parent told The Advertiser he was angry not only at the charging of fees during lockdown but also the loss of subsidised sessions that flowed on from it.

He says families receive “42 free sessions a year in case your child is sick, needs to go to the doctor etc”.

“We’ve paid OSHC fees during lockdown and now we’re being hit again with the loss of subsidised sessions – it’s not fair,” the frustrated father said.

“Lockdown has effectively taken 10 of these (sessions are broken into morning and afternoon).

“Thousands of parents are affected and depending on whether they need the free sessions, may be facing some hefty bills down the track.”

He said parents received notification ahead of lockdown that only the children of essential workers would be permitted to attend.

Labor’s federal spokeswoman for early childhood education and development, Amanda Rishworth, has been lobbying for childcare gap fees to be waived during state- or national-ordered Covid lockdowns.

Gap fees are out-of-pocket costs paid on top of the childcare subsidy.

“Unnecessary childcare bills are the last thing South Australian families need during a lockdown, when many people are already facing a reduced income and other stresses,” Ms Rishworth said last week.

The federal government earlier this month agreed to allow NSW childcare centres only to not charge families gap fees on days their children were absent as a result of lockdown.