Anyone have a solution?
Looking around Sydney, and if you can find a place you are looking at $100+ per day. That's ~$25,000 per year, about the same as a very, very expensive University degree. For childcare.
When I was younger it was free (Uni too).
Everything was free when Whitlam got in.
Free this, free that. Sh1t it's only money til it runs out. 
$80 per day private daycare with 50% reimbersed, so $40 per day (council runs it using private carers)...cost of living in the city must suck balls!
Our daughter had a seizure (febrile convulsion - her 2nd to-date) on Monday arvo just mins before I turned up to pick her up, the daycar'er was kneeling down and on phone to 000 doing what she should waiting for the ambo whilst waiting for our girl to come-to. I jumped in the ambo with my 2yo, and she spent yesterday at home with her mum. Back at daycare today (after a day in the clear and in good health) and took a bunch of flowers to say thanks. I think she was more terrified than us (she's told us that she adores our little girl), she was shaking when I got in the ambo, so called later that night to reassure her that our daughter was home from hospital & doing well.
I'd hate to think what would've happened in a large daycare facility!
Evil Panda,
You are pure evil for even thinking along the lines of 200-250 days of child care... Why did you even have a kid if you are thinking along the lines of 250 days child care... Paying someone else to raise your kid!? Are you serious?
You should be thinking along the lines of 75-100 days per year, tops.
Short term pain on the money front... suck it up... Imagine living in a poorer area in Sydney in the 1850's in a house with a dirt floor, with no electricity.... TV, cars, and phone weren't even invented...
Sincerely,
me.
rebates should refund most of that. our local is $90ish per day, we paid around $18.
having said that, we used to leave our daughter there on Wednesdays, but found she would come home sick with something new every week.
we rearranged our schedule so that she doesn't go at all anymore, one of us is always home. i realise that's not possible for many people...
i cant believe im subsidising people that wont look after their own kids. now thats a scam
I recall he was National party and his Dad was a former minister also.
^ ah yeah...
childcare isn't kindergarten.
You couldn't ever drop a 6 month old at kindergarten from 7am till 5pm.
I was a bit worried by all the talk, but in the end we had our choice of many places (northern suburbs brisbane) and ended up going with a great local 'family daycare' woman which means she has 2 other kids at most. Cost is $42 p/d without any rebates - might be able to get some to reduce that.
Can't see what all the fuss is about from my experience. 
"childcare isn't kindergarten."
^ true that.
Well see it/kindergarten used to be paid for by the government. Now it is paid for by the government plus a nice profit paid for by us.
From an article in Courier Mail May 2012
I've just realised I'm whining on about this like a bitch. 
So I give you "The Intersection of Stupidity"
(May have already posted that in funny images)
Family daycare is the go rod - my mates are same as you - both parents have been sick for 3 months with revolving door cold/flu strains. Not to mention hand,foot & mouth disease.
Our fella only mixes with 2 others - enough for some exposure and learning to share, not enough to get every bug at once!
Evl my wife sent me this email this morn - all I can suggest is that you're doing it wrong?
And, finally, centrelink are paying 48.33% of childcare. Means we're paying about $3.20p/hr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ridiculous!!! And that's just the childcare benefit, there's also a rebate paid quarterly. Not sure how much that is.
So by my calcs, before quarterly rebate, we will be paying $75 p/w for 3 x 8hr days. Not sure what she'll earn in 3 days but it's far more than that - well worth while!
100$...
Where I'm from we have a $7/day daycare system.
You have to put your kid on the list for a place before you even think about having one...
My son has a son in childcare two days a week, virtually impossible
to get more days, government gives a bit of rebate.
The childcare place says their always full because people on welfare
looking for work have priority for childcare, paid fully by centrelink.
This is to help the dole bludgers find work. What happens actually
is that the dole bludgers spend their days looking for work at the
RSL next door to the childcare place. Of course if the weathers OK
they go to the beach to look for work. We trusty taxpayers
pay for their kids to be baby-sat for 12 hours each day while they
look for work. Why do we wonder about refugees wanting to get
onto this perpetual gravy train, we should all go on welfare!
