Inner West child care could become more accessible

BY LUCAS BAIRD

Child care in the Inner West is set to become more accessible after the government announced plans to relax restrictions on potential centre developments.

On November 3rd the Minister for Planning, Rob Stokes and the Minister for Early Childhood Education, Leslie Williams, announced plans to cut red tape to encourage the creation of 2,700 more preschools in NSW by 2036.

Sydney’s Inner West is one area in dire need of more child care facilities, as the area is currently buckling under long wait lists and high costs. Many child care centres charge up to $100 for parents to put their child on the waiting list, even those run by the Inner West Council charge between $20 and $25 for this.

This could change.

The Ministers are reviewing caps on the number of children per centre, age ratios and anti-clustering policies that previously deadlocked the approval of child care centres in some areas. They claim that these restrictions have led to “frustrating” long delays for child care centre developers, citing a Killara centre which took 508 business days and a Land and Environment Court appeal for approval.

“The proposed changes will streamline planning approvals for child care services to increase the supply of facilities and support families who are struggling to access quality care,” Mr Stokes said.

Australian Child Care Alliance NSW president, Nesha Hutchinson, welcomed the proposal and said that: “It has been a long time coming, but our advocacy has paid off as both Departments are committed to working together to bring about positive change for NSW-based families and childcare providers.”

However, Ms Hutchinson called on local governments to create a “market-based approach” to their planning, to both satisfy demand quickly and avoid over supply. “All local councils now need to harmonise with new state planning guidelines and work with the real demands and constraints of their local government areas.

“What is suitable for the Sydney CBD may not be suitable for the NSW North Coast or elsewhere,” she said.

The Inner West Council and child care franchise KU were approached for comment, but did not reply in time for publication. Another franchise, Explore and Develop, refused to comment.