Lack of ECEC is hampering jobs and population growth in Deniliquin

A lack of early childhood education and care (ECEC) places in the New South Wales regional community of Deniliquin is having an impact on both jobs and population growth, local news source Deniliquin Pastoral Times reports. 

Local parents are unable to return to work because they do not have access to ECEC places, and new families who are willing to relocate to the area to fill job vacancies are being put off from doing so for the same reason. 

Some children in the area commence formal schooling with no access to early learning, which has an impact on their school readiness. 

Many providers in the area are at their enrollment ceiling, and are calling for more services to be built, which will in turn put pressure on existing services, many of whom are already struggling to attract and retain the staff needed to run their programs. 

A new preschool is to be established in Deniliquin, on the grounds of Deniliquin South School and funded by the NSW Government, but is not expected to be delivered until 2027, while a development application for another service was submitted to Council in August last year.

Housing also has an impact, local Director says

Local Goodstart Early Learning Centre director Candice Emery said there’s unlikely to be enough qualified staff to run additional services, saying that due to a lack of qualified staff, her service is operating at only 75 per cent of its 51 children per day capacity. The centre’s waiting list is now at 127 children.

“Attraction and retention of qualified educators is difficult, and part of the reason for that is not having adequate housing for new staff to relocate – it’s impossible,” Mrs Emery said.

“The community cannot fully support its current workforce, let alone attract more.”

“What qualified educator is going to come to Deniliquin, or stay, if they can’t get a house or even get on the books for a local doctor?”

“There’s no way building a new centre in town would be a solution if we can’t get the staff for it. We need to see some incentives – either from the local, state or federal government.”

Staffing a universal issue

Staff retention is also limiting the number of placements available through the Intereach Family Day Care model.

Only 6 of the 75 strong educator cohort in the scheme are based in Deniliquin, and each service is capped at a four child enrolment. 

“Educators can only provide education and care to ratio numbers determined by regulations.” Intereach Family Day Care program manager Rebecca Fitzpatrick explained.

“Intereach has been trying to attract and recruit educators for some time with limited success. We also have an ageing demographic of educators which will further impact placements if we cannot recruit.”

As in the long day care sector in the community, waiting lists for care with Intereach are long, with 64 families on the waiting list (including existing families who would like additional days.) 

The outside school hours care (OSHC) options in the community are also at capacity, with 60 children a day, and a waitlist of an additional 20 (or more.)

River Regional Early Education general manager Felicity Michael said “unprecedented demand” has also seen their wait list blow out to 200 children.

This includes families without any places for their children, and existing families wanting additional days for their children.

“By 2027, hopefully there will be an additional 58 places with the South School preschool and another childcare centre that has development approval,” she said, “but even with those places, 61 per cent of children will still be without a place.”

“The best estimate of why the demand has grown is that the cost of living pressures, together with workforce shortages, mean that more parents need to return to the workforce for more days and earlier,” Mrs Michael continued.

“Workforce pressures in early childhood services also exist. An early childhood educators’ pay is not commensurate with their school counterparts.”

“The Federal Government Worker Retention grant – which is a 15 per cent pay rise for childcare workers over the next two years – is a step in the right direction.

“There is pressure on the New South Wales Government to fund a similar pay rise for preschool educators,” she added. 

To access local coverage of this story please see here.