Childcare has been an important public policy issue for some years now because of the steady growth in female employment participation since the 1970s. While government subsidies for childcare are significant, with little doubt that access to affordable and high-quality child care looms large in the minds of many parents with young children. Child care services — offer education and care services to children aged 0–12 years including the following service types: long day care; family daycare; outside school hours care (OSHC); occasional care; and other care. Early childhood education and care services aim to meet the education, care and development needs of children and meet the needs of families including enabling increased workforce participation, by providing universal access to early childhood education services for eligible children and accessible child care services. Local governments across Australia contribute to strengthening the economy and securing the well-being of children and families. Ensuring existing and future communities have access to adequate child care is an ongoing challenge. The top five players have less than 21% market share. 70% of centres are small operators. The market is fuelled by opportunistic developers and enthusiastic new entrants. 

Demand

In 2018, 1 283 285 (or 31.4 percent) of children aged 0–12 years, attended Australian Government Child Care Benefit approved child care services, an increase of 1.8 percent from 2017. A reduction in demand of late has been caused by tighter lending to developers in the sector and tighter regulations from the banking sector. All local governments can control the availability of childcare within strategic planning, land management planning and development assessment methods.  Through these methods, they help decide the priority of childcare in their region, where it is located and the size and the childcare given. 

Government Subsidies 

In Australia, many parents with young children rely on childcare to allow them to fulfil their working responsibilities. Affordability continues a key issue with hourly fees for long daycare (the most used type of childcare) increasing by over 6% annually on average since 2009. The federal government is expected to contribute more than $8 billion in 2019-20 on subsidies for formal childcare, designed to make childcare more affordable for parents. Formal childcare in Australia has become governed, with an increasing focus on service quality as measured by importance on early learning. Formal childcare services must follow a raft of poignant regulations imposed by state and territory governments. Childcare in Australia is a regulated and subsidised service.

Friendly Reminders

If you are planning to start a childcare business, we have a few reminders for you. Always prioritise the welfare and interests of children under your care. Your primary goals should offer exceptional service, achieving excellent learning outcomes for children, supporting parents and making sure educators are getting paid. The Early Learning Management team is here to help you build a successful and profitable childcare business anywhere in Australia. We have the knowledge, experience, skills and resources necessary to offer the help you need. Call us today and let us talk about your plans, needs and goals.