Luxury childcare centres in demand as government eyes tax subsidies

MEDITATION, yoga, French tutors, cardio programs run by elite athletes and organic menus created by TV dietitians — welcome to the luxury world of designer childcare centres.

Yoga for Kids

MEDITATION, yoga, French tutors, cardio programs run by elite athletes and organic menus created by TV dietitians — welcome to the luxury world of designer childcare centres.

Parents pay up to $195 a day to send their children to up-market centres which are adding pampering and perks to attract a growing appetite for “only the best”.

Finicky toddlers are being catered to by chefs preparing organic gourmet meals, while some centres boast European cots and deluxe bedding, designer nursery and high-end furniture sourced from the US and Europe.

Teachers Noreen and Sarah, along with Dylan, Annalise and Edoardo, flag a French lesson at Greenwood in Gladesville.

The kitchen at Greenwood Early Education Centre in Gladesville.

Taxpayer subsidies for some of these extras may be scaled back next year if federal government reforms pass the Senate.

University of NSW Professor Deb Brennan has been advocating a “fairer” funding model, to ensure taxpayer subsidies are not used to cover luxury services.

“If parents have a lot of money I don’t care if they want French silk nappies for their children, but I don’t want to pay for them,” she said.

Parent demand for high-quality extras for children continues unabated, with chains continuing to open new state-of-the-art centres.

Outdoor play area at Gladesville, one of Greenwood’s nine centres.

Greenwood centre in Gladesville also offers children yoga and tutors in French.

Greenwood, which has nine centres — including a new building at Katoomba featuring 1000sqm of outdoor play area, a chicken coop and even a pig pen — has declared it wants to teach its kids to be “leaders and confident individuals”.

“Current research suggests the first five years of life are crucial for the overall ­development of the child,” educator leader Emily Brown said.

Competitor chain Only About Children, which has 24 centres in Sydney, includes extras such as speech and hearing check-ups, sports science physiologists designing exercise programs and in-house chefs serving seasonal menus.