Centre Based Childcare Costs to Increase?

The Federal Government has been warned that its plans to increase the quality of child care could drive fees up by as much as $20 a day and put further pressure on parents. 

Caring for over 70,000 children a week, ABC Learning entered receivership late last year. As part of a submission to a Senate inquiry on child care, management of ABC said centres could be driven out of business, and staff would resign, if they were forced to meet the costs of  the new proposed standards for child care.

The Federal Government is considering the introduction of national standards that would rate individual centres, reduce staff-to-child ratios and improve teacher qualifications. It is argued the proposals would increase staff costs, which would ultimately be passed on to parents in higher fees in Queensland child care centres.

Family Day Care Australia is also making submissions to put forward the FDC point of view as part of this proposal review process, but it could be that these changes will actually make home based care an even cheaper alternative to centre based care.

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