Nanny devotees such as Sonya Neufeld, of Page, were celebrating on Friday as the Productivity Commission report expected to guide government policy recommended childcare subsidies be extended to at-home child carers.
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The changes recommended by the commission have also excited nanny agencies who say more nanny operators could start up in the ACT, and they will consider hiring more staff if the recommendations are adopted.
The report also recommended a switch to a single means-tested payment on a sliding scale to benefit low and middle income earners, and au pair visas be extended to 12 months from six months.
The head of the only nanny agency operating in the ACT, Danielle Robertson of Dial an Angel, has welcomed the report and said she would not be surprised if more nanny operators started up in the territory.
"I think there's going to be room for other providers to come in but you're going to have to have a proper system in place to cope with the regulations and manage things like that," she said.
"There may be family day care providers that expand into this area. There could be the possibility of other people, maybe nannies, who think they can start an agency."
Ms Robertson, who is also the President of the Australian Nanny Association, said she would consider hiring more staff, depending on demand.
"If the demand is there then we'll take them on, absolutely," she said.
Canberra public servant, Ms Neufeld, 37, and her husband work full-time, have a two-year-old and another child on the way, and employ a nanny.
She said she is pleased with the recommendations.
"I think it's really important. I think parents should have the choice to do what's best for their child and I think the government should support that," Ms Neufeld said.
"We had our daughter in daycare for about five weeks because it was the cheaper option. I didn't feel comfortable leaving her there and I felt that particular daycare could have been better.
Then, an inheritance in the family allowed them to get a nanny and they have had their nanny since last July.
"Financially it has been a burden, there is no denying it, but we haven't looked back. If we hadn't had that [inheritance] I don't think we could have done it," she said.
Ms Neufeld also said quality should be a focus, as children's positive early life experiences affected social stability and economic productivity.
"Our government should increase accessibility to child care, by all means. But it's so important this government also supports training and conditions for the professional workers who take on this crucial social responsibility," she said.
Childcare has become a testy issue in Canberra in recent years, with many families hanging out for an increase in the rebate.
The Abbott Government has said it will announce its families' package in the first half of 2015 which will determine which recommendations are adopted.
United Voice union national secretary David O'Byrne said the childcare crisis would not be resolved by the report alone.
"The only way we can ensure families can access affordable, quality services is if the government keeps its promise to redirect paid parental leave funds to the quality system of childcare services the majority of parents rely upon," he said.
"As the union representing 153,000 early years educators we expect that the government will consult in detail with our members on these proposed changes."
