Childcare - Overview

For parents with young children, particularly those who aren't yet of school age, childcare is one of the most important considerations you face. When we think of childcare, we tend to think of private childcare centres, but there are many different child care options available, each with their own positives, negatives, and important things to think about:

• Private childcare facilities - These are commercially run childcare businesses. They are often called long day care because they tend to run from early in the day to early in the evening.
   
  • Pros: Children have the chance to mix with other kids.
  • Cons: Difficulties finding places, places can be expensive.
  • Important considerations:
     
    • The qualifications of the staff.
    • What kinds of activities will the kids will be doing?
    • Recommendations from other parents.
    • Do they provide food, drink, and nappies?
• Whether the facility is operating with children in mind rather than profit.
• When you visit the centre is it a welcoming environment and do the kids in the centre seem happy?
   
• Community owned childcare facilities - These are not-for-profit organisations that are run by local communities, parents, local governments, and church groups. They are often called long day care because they tend to run from early in the day to early in the evening.
   
  • Pros: Run by the community.
  • Cons: Facilities can vary from centre to centre.
  • Important considerations: 
     
    • The qualifications of the staff.
    • Recommendations from other parents.
    • Do they provide food, drink, and nappies?
  • What kinds of activities will the kids will be doing?
• When you visit the centre is it a welcoming environment and do the kids in the centre seem happy?
   
• Nannies - Live-in carers who look after the children and who may be responsible for any child-related tasks. An Au Pair is a foreign national who is on an exchange program who has much the same role as a nanny.
   
  • Pros: Individual attention, are effectively 'on call'.
  • Cons: Having someone else live with you, kids will mainly be interacting with the nanny rather than with other children, expensive.
  • Important considerations:
     
    • Are they qualified, experienced, and do they have a Blue Card?
    • Do they engage well with your children and do your children like them?
    • Will they spend all their time with your family - will they eat dinner with you, go on holidays with you? Will they have free time?
    • What will happen if they get sick?
       
• Relatives - Using a relative or many relatives as either full-time or part-time child carers.
   
  • Pros: Children are being looked after by someone in the family, cost of childcare is kept down.
  • Cons: Expectation that family members will be 'on call', can be particularly stressful for older relatives.
  • Important considerations:
     
    • Do your relatives have the time, facilities, and energy to look after small children?
    • Relatives need time to themselves too.
       
• Family day care - Child care operating out of private homes. There may be other children who will be looked after. Activities can occur in the home or outside of the home - e.g. at a park, shopping centre.
     
  • Pros: Family environment outside of your home, hours are more flexible than other child care providers.
  • Cons: In someone else's home with other children, trusting that the operator is running the childcare according to the standards and/or regulations.
  • Important considerations:
     
    • How many children will be looked after at the one time? There are restrictions on the number of children providers are allowed to look after at one time.
    • Who else will be in the home with the children?
• What qualifications or experience does the operator have?
• What activities will the children be doing?
• Do they provide food, drink, and nappies?
• What happens when they are sick?
  

Read more on childcare and other issues at No School Today: Talking Points