Dunedin childcare centres are struggling to cope with a rise in demand for their services following the introduction of a Government scheme providing 20 free hours of early education a week.
The scheme, introduced in July 2007, received praise from all local child care providers contacted yesterday, but had also left many centres struggling with large waiting lists.
A shortage of spaces in their early childhood centre has lead Dunedin Hospital Child Care Centre to consider opening a new facility at Wakari Hospital.
The central child care centre was full, and had a waiting list of 50 children, manager Valerie Milne said.
She had experienced many parents being frustrated at not being able to access the early childhood facilities.
Wakari Hospital was being considered because it was Otago District Health Board land, and because when the existing centre was renovated three years ago, a temporary child care centre was successfully set up at the hospital.
"It's a lovely spot up there . . . it was a great place to be," Mrs Milne said.
When asked if concerns had been raised for child welfare on the same site as a mental health unit, she said any fears had been allayed during the time the temporary centre was in operation.
While the new centre was still in the thinking phase, demand for it was being ascertained through surveys sent to parents trying to enrol their child at the existing centre, Mrs Milne said.
The University of Otago Childcare Association was experiencing the same problem with demand. Director Kay Lloyd-Jones described it as huge.
The university ran four centres for their employees and students. These centres had more than 100 children in them, and a waiting list of 120, she said.
"We will not be able to take any children in any of our centres before the new year."
She believed every centre in Dunedin had waiting lists and these would not be eased until new centres were opened. While she knew it was frustrating for parents, she also saw it in a positive light, as it showed families were using the 20 free hours of child care the Government initiated.
Dunedin Community Childcare Association director Jo Ellis encouraged parents to look at their options when considering child care, especially home-based care.
Sarah Warhurst, of Dunedin, had wanted to put her 2-year-old son, Oscar, into a child care centre and was surprised at the size of the waiting lists the centre. She instead placed him in home care and while she did not regret the decision, she said it did not offer the flexibility of hours a centre would have.
Ministry of Education early childhood education manager Karl Le Quesne said there had been significant growth nationally in the number of children enrolling in the 20 free hours scheme since it was launched in July 2007. Now, 89% of eligible 3- and 4-year-olds were enrolled in the scheme, up from 70% in July 2007.
