Mum says grandparents should be included in the childcare subsidy

“I think that we should be in a position to be able to decide who is going to care for our children."

At 69, Pam traded retirement for playdough, nappy changes and nap time. She wouldn’t have it any other way.

She packed up her life in Perth and moved across the country to Brisbane to help ease the crushing cost of childcare, giving her daughter the chance to keep working and her grandson the gift of a grandma’s love.

“Nothing can compare to a nanna’s love,” Lauren, Pam’s daughter, told Kidspot. 

For three days a week, Pam cared for Lauren’s three-year-old son, Rafferty. For the first three years of his life, daycare wasn’t a centre, it was his Ninny. 

Rafferty having fun with his Ninny! Image: Supplied

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"It was well and truly daycare"

And soon, the process will begin all over again with the family’s newest arrival, four-month-old Sully. 

Lauren is a speech pathologist, which means she understands just how critical those early years are for a child’s development. 

“All of the one-on-one interaction with my mum, that was just so valuable to my son,” Lauren said. 

There’s little difference between traditional daycare and Pam. 

She worked set hours, prepared meals, toilet trained, followed nap routines and attended community activities. She even completed a CPR course online to prepare.

“It is well and truly daycare,” the mum explained. 

“We bought so much stuff for the house… he’s got his own playroom here, he’s got an outdoor area that’s just completely fitted out with everything he could have needed.”

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There’s only one thing that’s missing: government support.

Despite doing everything a daycare educator does, Pam receives no financial assistance. Because she’s not a formal provider, the government childcare subsidy doesn’t apply to their arrangement.

“There’s no reason why that money shouldn’t have gone into her pocket,” Lauren said.

“Other families don’t have that opportunity. They’ve got grandparents or family members who would be really willing, but not able without that reimbursement.”

Lauren isn’t asking for anything extra. Just the same support she would have received if her kids attended a childcare centre.

“I think that we should be in a position to be able to decide who is going to care for our children,” Lauren proposed. 

She’s not the only mum who feels this way. 

Her local mums group recently began a petition calling on the Albanese government to broaden the childcare subsidy program. To allow families more choice when it comes to selecting care.

"If the government's focus is on the children, then I think the people who know their children best should get a say in who, how and where their children are cared for," Lauren said. 

"Not to be excluded from financial support simply for exercising their choice."  

Recognising informal care arrangements wouldn’t just benefit families, it could also bring relief to an already overwhelmed childcare sector.

“The current daycares have huge waitlists,” she said. 

“It’s relieving that sort of pressure as well.”

Nothing compares to a Ninny's love. Image: Supplied

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New lease on life

Looking after the kids hasn’t just been good for the children. It’s been good for Pam, too.

“This has given her a whole new lease on life," she revealed

These days, Rafferty attends a local Montessori centre part-time, where he’s thriving. But for baby Sully, the family plans to follow the same path they did the first time around, keeping him at home with Ninny until he turns three.

It’s a decision based on love, trust, and what works best for their family.

“I’m not dissing childcare centres... his (Rafferty's) educators are lovely," Lauren said. 

“Why would we put him in a centre when someone might desperately be needing that position, and we have someone who is willing and able to look after Sully?”

Originally published as Mum says grandparents should be included in the childcare subsidy