Staff shortages leave thousands of Victorian without childcare each week

More than 2000 children a week are missing out on “valuable education” amid a chronic shortage of qualified childcare staff - and calls are growing for the government to step in.

More than 2000 children a week are missing out on childcare due to severe workforce shortages.

Families are being turned away because centres lack enough educators to meet staff-child ratios, data from the the Australian Childcare ­Alliance shows.

Two thirds of the 80 centres surveyed in February said they had to cap enrolments that week, which equated to more than 2000 places cut off from Victorian families.

And more than half of the 78 centres surveyed in May said they were forced to cap enrolments that week due to the ongoing workforce shortages.

Australian Childcare Alliance president Paul Mondo said the chronic shortage of qualified educators in the sector needed urgently attention.

“Right now we urgently need at least 10,000 well-trained, competent early-childhood educators and teachers to fill vacancies,” he said.

“We simply do not have enough people to meet the ­demand for early learning and care, while also remaining compliant with the educator-ratios put in place to ensure the safety and wellbeing of children and staff alike.

“To attract and retain the educators we urgently need, we are calling for a significant investment from the Australian government to increase wages and attract more workers into the sector.”

Freya Pollock with Happy Hippo Childcare owner Heather Honeyborne and children Hazel and Elsie, both 4. Picture: David Caird

Happy Hippo Childcare manager Heather Honeyborne said children lost valuable education as a result of educator shortages.

“It simply means that Victorian children will miss out on vital early-learning opportunities – opportunities that they deserve,” Ms Honeyborne said.

“We have incredible educators, but they will continue to burn out and leave the sector if the workforce doesn’t adequately grow, with qualified educators to accommodate the level of demand.”

The United Workers Union’s Helen Gibbons said for years educators had been “driven out of the sector they love by poverty-level wages”.

“The current workforce crisis in early education is hurting educators, children and families,” she said.

Early childhood educators last week applied at the Fair Work Commission to allow multi-employer bargaining.

“Educators are calling on the federal government to do their bit and make a public commitment that they will come to the bargaining table prepared to fund an increase to educators’ wages,” Ms Gibbons said.

“Without a commitment from government, even more educators will leave the sector, and put even more pressure on families’ ability to secure the quality affordable early learning they need.”