Childcare centres going broke
DOZENS of daycare centres have gone broke and closed permanently this year as parents keep kids home during the pandemic.
A total of 30 childcare centres closed their doors last month, after 12 closed down in July, 19 in June and 24 in March, April and May, exclusive industry data reveals.
It suggests that many parents who have lost their jobs or are working from home are keeping young children home with them during the pandemic for fear of catching Covid-19.
The closure of 85 centres – including long daycare, kindergarten and Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) centres – comes as the federal government buckled to industry pressure with a financial rescue package for the childcare sector a month ago.
One in three children across Australia has dropped out of childcare during the pandemic this year, new analysis of data from 10,000 childcare centres by Xplor Technologies reveals.
In the lockdown states of NSW and Victoria, 41 per cent of children enrolled in childcare are being kept home, even though parents and taxpayers continue to pay for their places through fees and government rebates.
But more parents are keeping children home during the pandemic in other states, too.
In Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia, one in three children enrolled in daycare is staying home with parents.
Xplor Technologies Education chief executive Mark Woodland said centre occupancy rates had fallen during the pandemic.