Council fights crunch in childcare

Leichhardt Council has spoken out against the State Government’s decision to cut government-run preschool hours from 30 to 15 hours per week.

Slated to start in 2013, the move is pledged to provide more places for children in day care.

“Cutting preschool hours for children will force parents to do one of two things – look elsewhere for childcare or cut their hours of work, which is just unacceptable,” Leichhardt Mayor Darcy Byrne said.

“Instead of maximising the hours that all children get at preschool, the NSW Government is imposing limitations on it.”

Mr Byrne has pledged two new long day care centres in this term of Council.

“The reason is we’ve got the biggest baby boom in Australia happening in the Leichhardt Municipality,” he said.

“There are thousands of parents being prevented from returning to work, and the last four years of Council only delivered 11 new long day care places. It’s time that Council started taking the issue more seriously.”

Council officers are currently in the process of identifying a site within the municipality where the centres can be built. Mr Byrne said it is his top priority to have the centres up and running as quickly as possible.

“I want to make sure that we get the maximum number we can arrange. There will be a report coming back in Council offices early in the new year that will identify just how big we can make those centres,” he said.

The focus on childcare comes at the same time as the opening of the new ‘Ladybird Woodland Play and Nature Garden’ at Toxteth Kindergarten, Annandale. The garden recently won a Kidsafe 2012 National Playspace Design Award for innovative design.

Toxteth Kindergarten is a community-based long day care centre catering for around 46 families, 50 children and ten staff. The centre is interested to hear from local businesses keen to get involved in further sponsoring stage two of the national award-winning project.