Regional areas struggle with the shortage of after school care

ABC NEWS (Australia)

While many parents are needing to work more to manage rising costs finding before and after school care places for their children can be a struggle. It's particularly difficult in regional areas where there's a shortage of care places. The sector faces issues like a lack of staff and increasing attention on quality and child safety.

Transcript

00:00School's out, but these kids are staying in, making the most of free playtime at after

00:08school care.

00:09I like playing with friends and building stuff.

00:13All the fun games.

00:15Making a copy with my friends.

00:17You get to play so you don't get bored.

00:21It's old school fun, and gives parents the extra hours they need to finish the working

00:27day.

00:28It's one of the days of the neighbourhood kids all meeting together in the street after

00:31school.

00:32It is a really lovely chance for them to spend time in a really safe environment that caters

00:38to their needs.

00:39But in many parts of the country, before and after school deserts exist.

00:45Nationally only about one in five students have a place available to them in before or

00:50after school care on any given school day.

00:52There are places like Broken Hill where there are after school care places for only

00:57nine per cent of primary students.

01:00Big cities have more spots than regional areas, but even in Perth there's a shortage.

01:07General practitioner Samantha Goss initially struggled to access after school care for

01:12her son.

01:13I did shorten my hours and because I'm a doctor that means seeing less patients basically.

01:20There are calls for state and federal governments to improve access to existing school buildings

01:26for after school care services, ensuring they meet child safety standards.

01:31When parents know they can rely on quality care that is longer than the formal school day, it opens

01:38up possibilities for parents to think about how they can participate in the workforce.

01:44Advocates say not only would increasing the number of after school places lift productivity,

01:51it could also be part of a solution to concerns about kids and screen time.

01:57Instead of taking a negative approach to digital safety, offering a social cohesion solution

02:03to the challenges that kids are facing.

02:06Switching off technology and spending more time with friends.

02:10Switching off technology and spending more time with friends.

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