Bega Valley Council looks at expanding childcare services

Council provides two centre-based early childhood education services including Bandara in Bega and Eden Early Learning Centre, as well as the Sapphire Mobile Preschool which operates in Bemboka and Candelo.

Council's director of community, environment and planning, Emily Harrison said early childhood education and care was a vital input to the economy of the Bega Valley.

Ms Harrison said early learning was critical for future development and was also important in allowing parents to work the number of days they wished.

The shire is currently seeing huge waiting lists across both council-run and commercially-run childcare with some organisations running out to a two-year wait.

The NSW government has announced 100 new public preschools will be built, but none are in the Bega Valley.

The shortage of childcare places is affecting parents' ability to work, or work as many days as they would like. This in turn affects businesses, schools and hospitals in the Bega Valley.

"Access to affordable, high quality early childhood education is critical to supporting workforce participation, attracting new families and workers to the shire, contributing to local economic development and achieving the community's main priorities and aspirations," Ms Harrison said.

"Anecdotally, we hear regularly that businesses and key services like the hospital are unable to attract new staff as they cannot find childcare. There are clear gaps."

Eden community project officer at the Eden Community Access Centre, Deb Richardson is currently looking for feedback on the childcare issue.

"There's a serious shortfall of childcare in Eden and from what I hear around the Bega Valley. Long day care, pre-school, before and after school and holiday care are in dire need here," Ms Richardson said.

"I know of people who can't get childcare in Eden and have moved to another area in order to access services elsewhere and in some cases they have left the area."

Ms Richardson is encouraging people to contact her through the Access Centre or via email at edenprojects@eden.nsw.au to share their experiences of accessing childcare services.

Ms Harrison said the resolution at the council meeting on February 21 confirmed council's commitment to providing childcare in the Bega Valley and would allow the planning process to start to determine if and how council could grow services into the future to meet community need.

It is not without challenges though because of the staff shortages in childcare. But Ms Harrison said the federal government said it was looking at possible relief on education costs for the sector.

Infrastructure is another challenge as the current buildings may not accommodate growth and in some areas there are limited options for expansion. This would mean planning for alternatives and seeking funding for new infrastructure.

"Infrastructure requirements will take some time and could be a few years away but within the existing building footprints there could be some small improvements," Ms Harrison said.

The operation of childcare services are government funded which would increase if there were if more children were attending.