Regional and Rural Families Deserve Better!

Finding a spot in early learning and care can be tricky anywhere in Australia, but it is especially so for families living in regional, rural and remote areas where places are severely limited.

The 2022 Mitchell Institute report Deserts and Oasis: How accessible is childcare in Australia found that 50% of families in regional areas and around 80% of families in remote neighbourhoods are stranded in ‘childcare deserts’ (an area where there are 3+ children for every available position).
The reality for families living outside metropolitan areas is that they cannot access early childhood education and care where and when they desperately need it.

Without a childcare spot for their child(ren), parents and carers cannot go to work. Children miss out on the many benefits of quality, nurturing early learning. Workforce shortages are exacerbated.

It’s a no brainer: access to high quality, affordable early childhood education and care needs to be improved in regional, rural and remote communities!

Help us convince federal, state and territory governments to improve access to early childhood education and care. Share your experiences with childcare in regional, rural and remote areas.

The more stories we share with decision makers, the harder it will be for them to deny that this is an urgent issue which affects their constituents. Rural, remote and regional children, families and communities deserve better!

So - if you’re a parent or carer in a regional, rural or remote community, please submit your story today using this form.

Want to get involved in other ways? We’re also seeking volunteer spokespeople to represent the campaign in the media or to politicians, as well as volunteers to join our working group. Get in touch by emailing Maddy, our Campaign Director.