Childcare centre places scarce in inner-Melbourne, Greens survey reveals
Half of Melbourne’s inner-city childcare centres have no more space, forcing frustrated parents to delay going back to work. But some may have more luck depending on how old their child is.
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EXCLUSIVE: Half of Melbourne’s inner-city childcare centres have no space to look after more infants, as frustrated parents delay going back to work until they climb to the top of lengthy waiting lists.
A damning survey has found families are waiting an average of eight months to find childcare for kids aged under two, with centres having about 50 families each on their waiting lists for that age bracket.
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The waiting lists are slightly shorter for children aged three and four, but more than a third of childcare centres still report having no vacancies to fit more in.
The survey, covering suburbs including Carlton, Richmond, North Melbourne, Fitzroy and Kensington, was carried out by Melbourne MP Adam Bandt’s office last month.
The results, which covered 47 of 72 inner-city childcare centres, showed community and not-for-profit centres generally had longer waiting lists, with a lack of physical space the major barrier to offering more places.
Kew parents Catriona McLeod and Alex Sbityakov have been struggling to find childcare for their daughter Nina, who was born late last year.
Ms McLeod said they were both keen to return to work in the finance sector but had missed out on the yearly intake for centres in the inner-east.
“Because of when our baby was born, we had the choice of paying for a couple of months that we don’t need to save a spot, or waiting a whole extra ten months before we maybe get in. Even then, there’s no guarantees,” she said.
Ms McLeod said the lack of flexibility and demand for places, as well as the cost of childcare, had stopped many of her friends from going back to work.
Mr Bandt, the Greens MP, has been running the childcare survey since 2010.
“We’re building inner-city apartments and townhouses faster than we’re expanding childcare centres and it is starting to bite,” he said.
The childcare logjam has prompted the Greens to today unveil plans for a $200 million fund targeted at reducing waiting lists in high-demand areas.
Childcare centres would be able to apply for grants to pay for capital works to expand their facilities, or to hire more staff to look after extra kids.
Twitter: @tminear