How 17yo juggles high school with being a full-time carer to four siblings

Haylie Reynolds has never given birth, yet she is responsible for four children. Since the age of seven, she’s shared care of her siblings with her injured dad. Now she’s getting more help.

Haylie Reynolds, 17, centre, with her younger siblings, from left, Katie, Shane, Jackson and Elizabeth. Haylie stepped into a caring role to support her siblings alongside her father from a young age. Picture: Supplied

Seventeen-year-old Haylie Reynolds has never given birth, yet she is responsible for helping care for four children.

Every morning she wakes up at 5am. She finishes the chores she couldn’t do the night before, washes the dishes, and puts on a load of washing.

Then she rustles up “the kids”, her four siblings, three of whom are autistic. She makes their lunch, checks their homework, organises doctors’ appointments and gets them dressed and ready for the day. And then she goes to high school.

Haylie has been a full-time carer for her siblings since she was seven years old, after her parents divorced.
Moving in with her dad, who suffered a back injury, Haylie has taken on board shared responsibility for the four children with her father.

Haylie Reynolds pictured with her younger siblings Katie, and Lizzie. Picture: Supplied washing.

She’s one of the estimated 235,000 young Australians who have had to take on responsibilities well beyond their years to provide unpaid care and support to family members or friends who have a disability, mental illness, chronic condition, alcohol or other drug issue or who are frail aged.

She’s spent the majority of her life putting her family first.

Haylie has been stepping up to help her dad with the kids since the age of seven. Picture: Supplied

From the moment she gets home in the afternoon, she is helping her father with cleaning, cooking and caring for her siblings.

Once she has put them to bed, normally at about 9pm, she has a few sacred hours to work on her own homework and exercise.

She speaks of her life calmly, matter-of-factly.

“It’s hard at times but they are amazing. My dad is always making sure there are meals on the table and bills always paid and I’ve just got to make sure the house is tended to and the kids are taken care of,” she said.

Two of Haylie’s four siblings, Elizabeth and Jackson. Picture: Supplied

The soft-spoken girl from the dusty country town of Wee Waa, 550km from Sydney, doesn’t have much time to daydream.

“I‘ve got more maturity than most kids and I know how to take on responsibility … but it was a bit difficult. I didn’t really get to have too much fun as a kid,” she said.

Until now. Thanks to a government grant for young carers, she’s finally had the chance to experience freedom.

Created in 2014, The Young Carer Bursary Program (YCBP), assists young carers aged 12-25 years to continue their education by providing financial assistance to reduce the need to undertake part-time work while studying and managing caring responsibilities.

Since receiving the grant, Haylie has noticed a change. For the first time, she is dreaming again. She reveals she has always harboured a desire to pursue music.

Thanks to the grant, these dreams are becoming a reality.

This week, she flew to Sydney to take part in a week-long opera camp, run by Moorambilla Voices — a choir made up of students from regional Australia.

“It’s opening up more doors for me in the future … and helping me also like take a break and relieve stress. When I was offered to join Moorambilla I was actually able to say yes,” said Haylie.

She’s encouraging all young carers to sign up for the 2024 The Young Carer Bursary Program which opens on July 18.

“It’s changed my life,” she said.

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