My son (10 months) attends a childcare centre in the city run by one of the "for-profit" companies. We pay $90 a day for the care that is provided. We have been on waitlists for "not-for-profit" centres since March 2004 and we still don't have a place. If I got offered a place today, I doubt very much I would accept the offer even given the difference in fees and the points raised in your article. I am totally satisfied with the care that is given to my child. He is lovingly cared for by a group of highly dedicated young women who have made their career choice as early childhood education. There is a range of experience amongst the staff but all of them have enthusiasm and commonsense which I think is important. Privately run childcare centres do not exist in a vacuum. Parents and children attend and interact with staff and managers everyday. The accountability on a governmental and a personal level is very high. All these things ensure that the well-being of the children is of the highest concern. If this was any different I would remove my child from the centre. I know that I am highly involved in my child's care and am always critically reviewing how my child is cared for and the policies that the centre has in place. I have found the centre to be responsive and accomodating of my criticisms. And I am just one of at least 100 parents in the centre.

I work in a non-profit community based centre. I have been there for neary three years now, (firts year i relieved) and love every bit of it. We have so many rescorces and the fact that the families contribute is very important. Our commity of management are parents whose children attend the centre. Therefore any major changes are reviewed by the commitee first as they have the final say for what happened with their childre. We have fundraiser throughout the year where all our money raised will be contributed into resourses in the centre for either toys for the children or other things such as a recently built new kider room, and a water tank where children can access water during warmer months for play. Pritate centres cant do fundraisers, and i can say that the few private centres i have been to have had haredly any rescources and their toys and equipment are all "plastic fantastic" things. Their outdoor areas have no tree and shade, the climbing equipment is limeted to the plastic stuff with lots of tanbark around or that pathetic "fake grass" The extra equipment that is put out maybe a wooden balance plank/beam and that is about it with a few snadpit things in the sandpit. The babies yard may only have a sandpit if theyre lucky, and no climbing equipment, maybe a small plastic slide. I can say that our centre along with the fixed climbing equipment is covered in trees with heaps of shade, grass covers some of the yard, along with a mixture of tanbark and soft fall. we have a roof cou\vered gazebo like sandpit, a digging patch, a decking area, swings, a "stage" several quiet places to sit in the shade, i have had parent comment that its like a childrens adventure yard.

on top of all this permanent play equipment, we spend around half an hour everyday setting more expereinces up for the children to play with, waterplay, books, outdoor blocks, painting, dinosaurs, obstacle course, the list goes on. Its greaton warm summer days as we have so much shade we can still get out and play. the babies yard has swings a sandpit and climbing equipment on top of that we set up obstacle courses bikes, waterplay etc.Our ratios are over the requiremnt and our rooms are large. In the babies 0-2 we have 8 children adn 2 staff. the ratio for this age group is 1 staff to 5 chn. our room could hold 17 chn as we have enough space. the 2-3 room have 9 children and 2 staff, the 3-4 room have 12-13 chn with 2 staff, the ratio for 3-5's are 1 to 15 ( most centres for this age group will have 30 chilren with 2 staff or 15 with one staff. our 4-5 kinder room have 15 children with 2 staff and on certain days of the week we have 3 staff in the 2 older rooms as we have a few additianal need chn. I have never seen a private centre who will have these kids of ratios! Plus we have a level 3 in every room and a level 2. the 4-5 room has a kinder teacher. I know that we provide the best care for our children because we are not all about profits as we are a non-profit centre. Find a private centre with these attitudes!