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LISA BRYANT, CHILDCARE POLICY EXPERT: Keeping children safe is really expensive and profits depend on keeping things very, very cheap.MELISSA DIAS-HARRISON: There would be no incident reports, people wouldn't know what would have happened.
STEPHANIE ZILLMAN: In August 2022, Ashlea Coen handed her daughter’s childcare centre an allergy action plan for her nine-month-old baby, Ada, who had a severe dairy and egg allergy.ASHLEA COEN: We trusted that when we handed in that piece of paper at the front desk, they then knew what they were doing, and they put all of the procedures in place to protect her.
ASHLEA COEN: The lady said, “Oh, Ada’s been fed a teaspoon of yoghurt, and she seems to be reacting. We don't really know what's going on. Does she have an allergy to, to dairy?” ASHLEA COEN: Hearing that voice note that her saying that her symptoms weren't serious and, you know, she's just, she's just sneezing a little bit, versus walking into the centre and seeing how unwell she was. That was quite disturbing.
Whereas in the last few years, that's not what we've got as that drive to make profits has intensified. GINA CASS-GOTTLIEB: The conditions for educators are not as good as the conditions for instance, working in preschools. In addition, they have fewer holidays, they face a requirement in their own personal time to do training.
STEPHANIE ZILLMAN: The inquiry found while some centres are struggling to stay afloat, others are generating profit margins as high as 50 per cent.GINA CASS-GOTTLIEB: For real estate investors and developers, building childcare centres and then being landlords of childcare centres are very attractive.
STEPHANIE ZILLMAN: Last year Melissa Dias-Harrison enrolled her son in a brand-new Nido childcare centre in the suburbs of Perth. A local manager replied, ‘I appreciate there are a lot of new faces around the service, which are new to the team, members of our sister services or agency staff.’7.30 contacted Nido but they did not respond.
STEPHANIE ZILLMAN: Emma Rattenbury is an early childhood education trainer and educator in Wollongong.EMMA RATTENBURY: If educators aren't feeling well supported throughout their day at the service, then their ability to do that will eventually run out and that's very frightening for the sector.
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