Armidale's childcare sector is at breaking point, with families facing 'astronomical' waiting lists

"We have always had a bit of a waiting list, but in the past few years it has really grown," Ms Stace says.

Armidale is a childcare "desert", with a dearth of affordable and accessible childcare facilities.

According to state government data, there are 22 listed childcare centres in Armidale, with 11 listing vacancies, however, that depends on the child's age.

But everyone acknowledges there are too few "spots for our tots".

Galloway Street is a relatively small facility catering for 39 children a day, including Ms Stace's four-and-a-half-year-old daughter Maddie.

Ms Stace and her fellow workers Auntie Ursula and Aunti Di, (both of whom are longstanding employees) have never been so busy.

On the day visited by The Express, staff were rushed off their feet caring for their charges.

The non-for-profit centre caters for children from eight weeks to five years, long and shorter-term stays.

The carers agree there is a staff shortage of trained educators to staff childcare centres.

To address this, staff are paid 10 per cent above the award rate of pay, in a bid to recruit and retain the right staff.

The average wage of a childcare worker in NSW is between $50,000 and $65,000 per annum.

Childcare "deserts" such as Armidale are usually found in rural and remote areas of Australia.

The crisis facing families over childcare vacancies forced the federal government to direct the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to spend the past year investigating the sector.

The commission was tasked with looking at a number of factors affecting the accessibility of childcare, including costs and availability of labour, geographic location and level of competition.

Its final report is not due for publication until next month. But the commission's interim report, published in September, found costs for large childcare centres rose by 27 per cent between 2018 and 2022, with wages taking the lion's share of that at 69 per cent.

Commission members are holding roundtable discussions with stakeholders and other interested parties as to how these costs, and other issues, have affected availability in the childcare sector.

The average daily cost of childcare in Armidale is $109 for three to five-year-olds, $121 for children aged between two and three years and $113 for babies up to two years.

That's slightly less than the state average of $131 a day, yet the commission also found cost was not a main factor in influencing where parents and carers placed their charges.

Most were concerned with a perceived quality of the childcare offered.

According to the national quality standard in childcare, 11 per cent of childcare centres in Armidale exceeded guidelines, 68 per cent met guidelines and 16 per cent were working towards improving their standard.

But in Armidale, young families aren't even near reaching this consideration because of such a lack of vacancies.

Most surveyed are simply putting their names on waiting lists and hoping for the best.

Expectant mother Holly, a nurse, said she had put her name on multiple waiting lists in the district, with one centre informing her of a three-year wait.

Another mother, Jessica, who has a 10-month-old son said she was unable to return to work because of a lack of childcare places for her tot.

"As my son was a surprise I wasn't financially prepared to take this much time off work as well as cover all my medical expenses," she said.

Her employment future is contingent on finding a childcare spot for her son, which doesn't seem hopeful at the moment.

Walcha mother and social worker Janessa Sherrin, has had to delay returning to work until at least April next year because there's currently no vacancies at any childcare centre from Walcha through to Armidale for her now seven-month-old daughter.

Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall helped secure a reprieve for Tiny Towns Child Care, in Kirkwood Street, after the NSW Department of Education issued a notice to close the facility on November 8.

The centre, which caters for 30 children and has 15 more on its waiting list, has been given until April next year to amend technical and paperwork deficiencies.

But that is small comfort to Ms Sherrin and hundreds of other local parents and carers in a similar position.

The Australian Childcare Alliance is a non-for-profit organisation representing long-day childcare operators.

It says one way of making childcare more affordable and attracting more educators into the sector is for the federal government to provide a direct wage subsidy for childcare workers, to avoid costs flowing through to families already struggling under cost-of-living pressures.

"Our educators and teachers are the heart of any centre, and it is vital they are supported at work and paid fairly," alliance president Paul Mondo said.

"But our families are also struggling under the rising cost of living pressures and cannot afford to additional out-of-pocket costs passed on to them.

"We have consistently advocated for additional government support to help attract and retain more early learning educators, as the sector faces a critical national workforce shortage."

Relief may be close for families in Armidale, with the opening of a new childcare centre, Wholechild, in Queen Elizabeth Drive.

The facility is currently taking booking and is tipped to open early next year.

In the meantime, if you would like to make a submission to the competition and consumer commission, visit accc.gov.au/inquiries-and-consultations/childcare-inquiry-2023.