More than half of Australia’s parents who are currently receiving the Child Care Subsidy (CCS) would be willing to receive less subsidy if it meant they had more flexibility in how it was spent, research from the Centre for Independent Studies (CIS) has revealed.

Five not-for-profit preschools in Sydney’s north western suburbs have called on a local council to renegotiate rent for their preschools across the district, with The Daily Telegraph reporting rates are set to “skyrocket” 500 per cent.

The advent of “running costs only” long day care (LDC) services in Sydney, provided by the newly established Sydney Catholic Early Childhood Services (SCECS) is “the answer to a prayer” for families accessing the services, The Catholic Weekly has reported.

Following the recent release of an evaluation report, commissioned by the Federal Department of Education, a number of early childhood education and care (ECEC) peak body representatives, and aligned groups, have shared their perspectives on the variable impacts of the Child Care Subsidy (CCS) on Australian families.

Federal Member for Wide Bay, a Queensland region located north of Brisbane, Mr Llew O’Brien has welcomed recent funding which will see $330,000 flow into the area to support improved access to child care.