The number of long-day care places in the territory grew by more than 500 in a little over a year, according to new figures produced by the ACT government.
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Data from the Community Services Directorate shows Canberra parents struggling with the city's waiting lists for childcare had access to 532 new long-day care places at 26 Canberra childcare centres between January last year and last month.
The new places, in Belconnen, Gungahlin, Tuggeranong, Woden and Canberra's inner south, have brought the total number of long-day care places in the ACT to 7966.
Community Services Minister Joy Burch said the increase in places could be attributed, in part, to the government's recent investment in the childcare sector, which included a capital works program and grants for childcare centres to offer new places.
But the opposition said the government could take little credit for the growth in places and that Canberra families were still battling long waiting lists, particularly for children under two.
Ms Burch said a further $9.2 million in the 2011-12 budget would add about 170 more places to childcare centres across the ACT.
''These extra places will give more families the opportunity to place their child in an education and care centre, and help address the strong demand for extra childcare,'' Ms Burch said.
''The ACT government is also helping to develop new centres, with land sold in Giralang and McKellar for new sites while land will also be sold off in Macarthur, Holt and Gungahlin to build new centres.''
Baringa Child Care Centre in Spence is one centre that has increased its places, after lobbying the government for four years for funding to refurbish an existing building for a nursery.
Director Judy Small said the new facility, opened in March last year, had doubled the rooms at the centre from three to six, created seven new jobs, and had made space for an additional 30 childcare places.
''That would amount to another 70 families a week because not all children are here every day,'' Mrs Small said.
Dunlop mother and primary teacher Rebecca Hughes enrolled her 8½-month-old son Archie at the centre this week after a ''horrendous'' time trying to find a place at a suitable centre for him.
''He's been on lists since he was two-months-old,'' Ms Hughes said.
''I was ringing Judy every second week to try to get him in.
''It's such a relief, because I have to go back to work and I've got a mortgage to pay.''
But opposition community services spokeswoman Vicki Dunne said the government had still failed to fulfil its 2008 election promise to build two new childcare centres, one in Canberra's north and one to the south.
''What it's done instead is refurbish half of Flynn Primary School for its childcare centre at a cost of $4 million for roughly 10 new places,'' Mrs Dunne said.
''For the most part, the 500 childcare places have not been provided by the government, but through the releasing of land for sale for the building of childcare centres.''
