Melbourne’s north is amongst the worst childcare ‘deserts’ in the state, a study conducted by Victoria University’s Mitchell Institute has found.
The nationwide study covered 50,000 suburbs and found when it comes to access to childcare, where you live matters.
A childcare ‘desert’, as defined by the report, is an area where there are more than three children on the waiting list per available spot.
Mother of four Sophie Kamereddine, from Glenroy, said it was an expensive and hard ordeal getting her children into the daycare system.
“I’ve got one kid in daycare at the moment and it is very pricey and was hard to get him in,” said Ms Kamereddine.
Ms Kamereddine has her son enrolled in a childcare facility in Broadmeadows, a suburb which falls under the category of a childcare desert.
She believes more should be done to make childcare cheaper and more accessible to low and middle income families.
“It’s ridiculous because parents have to go out of their way to get their children into childcare because there aren’t enough around and they need to be more affordable,” she said.
The report’s lead author, Dr Peter Hurley, said there is a clear distinction between wealth and accessibility when it comes to childcare.
“The system places an incentive on providers to go where they can get the greatest reward and that is usually wealthier suburbs where they can charge more,” he said.
“The end result is this uneven distribution of childcare availability across the country and lots of regions where there are not enough childcare places available.
He said the issue was worse for outer metro and regional areas.
“There are simply greater rewards for providers to operate in areas where they can charge more, find staff and have full enrolments. These areas are more likely to be found in inner city and suburban areas.”
