Even with the childcare rebate,Elisha James is paying about $150 a day for her two children to attend daycare.
Ms James,who is a registered nurse at a dental practice,said she had to think about leaving her job because of the added cost when she and her partner had their second child six months ago.
“I thought about staying home when my daughter came along but we just managed to scrape together enough to make it work,” she said.
“We’re both on reasonable salaries,I don’t know how families on less money do it.
“Ms James qualifies for a 60 per cent rebate on her childcare fees but said a lack of regulation has meant childcare fees remain prohibitive for many families.
“If[the rebate] goes up,daycare centres just raise their rates,there’s no regulation on fees. It just becomes prohibitive and prevents people from going back to work,” she said.
She said having the flexibility to work two half-days has also meant she only has to enrol her children for three days,a perk that workplaces aren’t required to offer parents returning to work.
Even with the benefits of the rebate and work flexibility,Ms James said her family has to budget strictly for groceries and her children miss out on things like trips away and better quality clothing.
However,she said the benefits of daycare highlight how important it is for everyone to have access.
“I can see my kids’ social ability,their outgoingness,their exposure to structure and play … I think it’s worth sending them to daycare for that alone,” she said.
“That’s why I think it’s really important that it’s accessible for everybody as well.”