CHILD-CARE costs will continue to rise, the sector has warned, with nearly 70per cent of providers surveyed nationally saying they would put prices up this year due to the Government's new quality framework requirements.
Amaroo mother-of-four Alicia Manning said she had not ''even looked at it'' this year because she had already dropped out of the workforce to be with her kids because it was not financially worthwhile to continue having them in care.
She has taken leave without pay from the air force, where she is a sergeant, and has started working about two nights a week stocking shelves at a supermarket to earn extra money.
''My husband is home at night and can look after the kids, so we can keep all of the money I earn there,'' Sergeant Manning said.
She had been paying just over $1000 for six days of care per fortnight for her children, leaving her with little left over from her pay cheque.
''I love my work and I do miss it. I'm on a good wage. I can't imagine how other people who are on [a lower] wage could do it.''
Sergeant Manning's children, aged 7, 5, 3 and 2 had been in a combination of family day care and before and after-school care. She said the child-care tax rebate had only been available quarterly at the time (it can now be received fortnightly), and she found the upfront costs too onerous.
The CareforKids organisation surveyed 13,000 child-care providers around Australia and found nearly 70per cent said they would raise their prices by between $5-$20 per day this year to help them meet the new requirements.
ACT Opposition spokeswoman for family and community services Vicki Dunne said Canberra parents already faced higher costs than their interstate peers.
''The Productivity Commission has told us that Canberra families pay on average $380 per week per child and that's $75 above the national average,'' she said.
''Now this comes on top of higher accommodation costs and utility costs for water and that is a big impost on families.''
Federal Opposition spokeswoman for child care and early learning Sussan Ley said, while many of the changed requirements would be phased in over a couple of years, child-care centres needed to get ready now and that involved significant cost.
''They need to pay for training for their staff now to have them ready,'' she said.
Minister for Early Childhood and Childcare Kate Ellis however defended the new requirements, saying they would ensure good quality care.
''Under these reforms, which have commenced this year, there will be improved staff to child ratios so that children get more individual care and attention and better staff qualifications so that staff are equipped to lead the activities that help our children learn and develop,'' she said.
.gif)
