Parents To Quit Jobs Over Childcare Cost Increase To Pay For Lifting Standards

News.com.au
MORE than a third of parents relying on childcare say they will be forced to quit their jobs and another third will delay having more children if the cost of care is pushed up by measures to improve standards in the industry.

A survey of 1847 parents found many so alarmed about the prospect of higher fees they said they would switch their vote to whoever offered better relief, The Australian reports.The survey, conducted by the Childcare Alliance Australia, found the situation was worsening for those families who already found care so expensive they were experiencing financial stress. In those families, 51 per cent said one parent would quit their job if childcare costs increased and one in two families said they would withdraw their child or children from their current long-day childcare centre.

If the cost per child increased by $13-$22 a day as a result of the Federal Government's National Quality Agenda reforms, 74 per cent of families said they would have difficulty managing the cost. This includes 47 per cent of parents who said they could definitely not afford any such increase.
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