Alright then, most people on this thread are obviously opposed to childcare centres. In a perfect world most parents don't really want to leave their kids at childcare centres, and the guilt can make them feel terrible.

What does Jewely or Belly think that most parents should DO with their kids when they have to work? These days many families live well away from other family members, and all their friends work as well.

Should all families send only one parent out to work, and then just 'exist' on one wage, the way the economy and cost of living is at the moment?

Yet, if single mothers dare to take welfare payments so they can stay home with their kids, they are vilified?

I don't like leaving young kids at childcare centres, day in and day out, however the Government would need to pay fairly good 'stay at home with your kids allowance' in order for that to happen any day soon.
If we then yell at people not to have kids unless they can 'afford' them, our population growth would be nil.

We obviously need to work harder at finding better ways to care for kids outside the family home, during working hours.

Until that happens, there is no need to vilify already upset parents who HAVE to leave their kids at daycare centres.

There is nothing anyone can say that would make most of them feel worse anyway....

Suze:”Yet, if single mothers dare to take welfare payments so they can stay home with their kids, they are vilified?”

They shouldn’t be, I don’t do it. I want single parents given support to stay home and parent, and one parent from households encouraged to be at home while their children are young.

Suze:“What does Jewely or Belly think that most parents should DO with their kids when they have to work? These days many families live well away from other family members, and all their friends work as well.”

You’re talking about needs over wants and I think Houel already addressed that. What I am wondering is the govt going in a direction of forcing all children into institutionalised care as young as possible and why the hell would they do that? If parents out there are truly feeling guilty about placing children in daycare maybe they will object to it being put out there as a compulsory thing. I doubt it though with people running around still claiming the kids need it to learn to socialise and now they have to be taught to play.

You really think the parents stop and consider if they are doing the right thing or are they doing the done thing? We make choices to live away from family, not getting to know who is in our community and we choose what makes us happy like a new tv vs a month raising our kids. It’s Aussie not Sri Lanka.

Houel:” A Key Performance Indicator. Ask pelican, she'll tell you all about them.”

Oh right. Sounds like complete rubbish. But that is why I want to know what DoCS powers were given over to the education department, because what if your kid aint up to their set standards?

Jewely, as I said, I really don't like childcare centres for young children/babies, but I think you are wrong in saying parents do the 'done thing' rather than the right thing by placing their kids in childcare centres.

These days it is nigh impossible to have even a basic living standard in this country if one parent is not making an extremely good wage, or if both parents aren't working.
Many parents have to move to other areas to find work, so saying they have a choice to not move away from extended family is wrong.

Maybe we could all see the error of our ways and just have one parent give up a job to stay home and care for the kids, but it would certainly be expensive for the Government to then pick up all the slack with increasing family tax benefits and welfare payments!

Children being placed in childcare centres has been going on for years now. Do we have any data anywhere about how the now grown up kids who spent time in childcare centres as children are fairing now, against those who stayed at home with mum?

I would suggest there wouldn't be much difference in their lives, all other things being equal.

Just like stay-at-home-mums don't like being put down because they don't work outside the home, so too do working mothers not enjoy being put down because they leave their kids with others.

Why can't we just all agree to support ALL parents and assist them to bring up their kids in whatever way their family can afford.

We should drag ourselves out of the 20th century and realise that kids of today are just as resilient as they ever were.

Childcare centres are private businesses, run by people who are as interested in minimising operating expenses as any other business owner. They are hard to staff and some of the workers will cut as many corners as possible. Consequently, they have regulations that govern every aspect of what they do. The original article merely discussed changes in the way that these regulations will be policed.

Over-regulation may be annoying, but some people cannot be trusted to do the right thing.

Jewely,
You are right to be concerned by the article.

Just because you cannot vote, at this point, does not mean you cannot have your say. Contact the Minister and request further information, sometimes the press get it wrong, edit out the crucial bits or put their own assumptions on what was said.

Then again politicians are devious. For example, Rudd said nothing about immigration pre election but the first thing he did was up the immigration dramaticly. They are not to be trusted.

You need clarifacation on this and exactly what is intended.

Mandatory child care for pre schoolers, no way!

Suze,

I don't believe this discussion is about demonising parents - it's lamenting the way our society is arranging itself into one big institutionalised entity.

Consumerism is our God. Our society has arranged itself so that nothing stands in the way of consumption. Our neighbourhood supports have disappeared in a push for centralisation, we are encouraged to institutionalise our infants at the earliest possible juncture, we own huge houses and multiple vehicles and every convenient gadget available to a first world country....these things are all usually obtained on credit and they have to be paid for.

Something has to give, and it seems we have now reached the situation where it is considered normal - and even desirable - to hand our infants over to institutionalised care