Best suburbs for childcare on Coast revealed as sleek new centre opens in Pimpama

Childcare spaces are incredibly limited in some parts of the Gold Coast, while others are much better served. See where you have the best chance of finding a space.

PARTS of the Gold Coast have as little as one childcare space available for every ten children aged up to nine years old, analysis by the Bulletin has revealed.

Parents wishing to avail of daycare or before and after school care in well-heeled Paradise Point have the least choice available to them, while there is also huge pressure for places in Coolangatta, Molendinar, Miami and Parkwood.

Palm Beach, with a population of 1732 under tens, only has 389 approved spaces available.

At the other end of the spectrum, parents in Tallebudgera, Benowa, Coomera and Currumbin are well served, with at least one space available for every two children.

The numbers were arrived at by comparing census data with the number of approved childcare spaces listed by the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority.

Data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) late last year showed caring for children was the biggest barrier to female participation in the workforce.

“In 2020-21, there were 250,000 women who wanted a job or to work more hours but were unavailable, of whom 61,600 (25 per cent) indicated that caring for children was the main barrier,” said Bjorn Jarvis, head of labour statistics at the ABS.

“It was highest for women with children under 15, with more than half (56 per cent) reporting this as their main barrier to work or working more hours.”

On the Gold Coast, by far the biggest populations of young children are in the north of the city, with census data showing almost 5000 under tens living in Pimpama, 4360 in Upper Coomera and 3513 in Coomera.

Pimpama also has one of the lowest overall median ages in Queensland at 29 – far below the national average of 38.

Four-year-old Hudson Lamb shows off his skills to Centre Director Kathryn Watson, sister Remi Lamb (five months) and mother Bella Lamb at Edge Early Learning Centre at Pimpama Village. Picture: Glenn Hampson.

It means demand for childcare has soared in the suburb, with a leading provider last month opening its fourth centre in the Pimpama/Coomera area in just over five years.

Edge Early Learning Pimpama Village, which can cater for up to 130 children from six weeks old to school age, opened its doors at Village Boulevard on February 20.

If follows the opening of Edge Pimpama in 2017, Edge North Pimpama in 2018 and Edge Coomera in 2021.

Edge Early Learning CEO Annie Bryce said demand was high for quality childcare in the area, with the company running waiting lists at its existing locations.

“Edge Pimpama Village will play an important role in the development of the suburb’s next generation which is growing rapidly,” Ms Bryce said.

“Our Edge team is excited to be able to extend our offering to more families within the

community. We have waitlists at all three existing centres and have already had plenty of

interest for Edge Pimpama Village.”

Four-year-old Hudson Lamb shows off his skills to Centre Director Kathryn Watson, sister Remi Lamb (five months) and mother Bella Lamb at Edge Early Learning Centre at Pimpama Village. Picture: Glenn Hampson.

Edge Pimpama Village Centre Director Kathryn Watson said there was still some availability at the new centre, although places were filling rapidly.

“There’s definitely high demand,” Ms Watson said. “All of our (existing) centres have a waiting list.

“As of this week I have about 60 children a day.

“We’re not at a hundred per cent yet though, so we do have space.”

Ms Watson said that while some children were dropped off at 6.30am, the most popular hours were between 7.30 and 5.30.

The centre features seven modern rooms with state-of-the-art learning facilities and a kitchen offering specially tailored meals, but Ms Watson said children had been most impressed by the opportunities for outdoor play.

“They love the outdoor environment,” she said. “We’ve got a fort with slides, we have two water play areas, we have a veggie garden and we have a mud kitchen by the sandpit that’s plumbed into water, so they love using that to water all our plants outside.

“You can see the bonds of friendship starting now and it’s beautiful to watch.”

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