'Quit my job or move to Melbourne': Families face confronting choices as childcare hub shuts (2024)

Erin Paech's "gut just dropped" when she was told her town's only childcare centre would be closing.

The mum of two works part time in the north-west Victorian town of Hopetoun and has utilised the service for both her children since they were 10 months old.

The centre, run by Uniting Wimmera, closed its doors earlier this month after being unable to fill two vacant qualified educator roles.

Ms Paech has now had to cut back her hours at work, as well as rely on assistance from family and friends who have work commitments of their own.

"[The closure] means that we are now going to have to lose work, we may even have to lose our jobs or lose hours, as there is no other way to get our children looked after," Ms Paech said.

Not enough qualified applicants

At the time of its closure, they long day care had 17 children enrolled.

Uniting has since announced that another childhood educator had resigned, leaving three vacant positions that needed to be filled.

It received five applications for the two original vacant roles and three people were interviewed, with none meeting the minimum standard.

The other two applicants withdrew their interest.

Yarriambiack mayor Kylie Zanker said the closure was devastating to the community, which is worried about its future if the childcare centre remains closed long-term.

"No matter what role parents hold, it's vital in their community and it is sad that unfortunately they have had to cut back hours or may potentially have to if they can't find childcare," she said.

Around 300 children on waiting lists in region

A Victorian government-backed initiative called By Five found last year that in the Wimmera Southern Mallee and North Central area, only half of rural townships with a population below 5,000 had accessible long day care.

It also reported that five towns with populations over 500 did not have childcare available.

By Five executive officer Jo Martin said the long day care centres rely on government funding as it is not financially viable to deliver service in low-population towns.

"Workforce is the number one issue, with comparatively low wages to other sectors and unsecure employment due to the nature of the funding," she said.

By Five estimated that about 300 Wimmera Southern Mallee children were on childcare waitlists but Ms Martin said the number could be even higher.

Resign or relocate

Beulah resident Heather Sherwell also accessed the Hopetoun childcare centre for her son.

For her family, the closure has come at both a good and bad time.

The soon-to-be mother of two is currently on maternity leave and can care for her two-year-old son at home without losing any of her income or taking any personal leave.

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But she is due to give birth via caesarean this month and will be forced to recover from the procedure while caring for both her children.

"I'm going to be in a position where I'm going to be struggling to lift my two-and-a-quarter-year-old and look after him and a newborn baby at the same time," she said.

Ms Sherwell said her partner Nathan Coffey will likely only be able to assist her for a few days before he returns to work as a farm hand.

"We're trying to go through all of the possible options of what we can do, it is a little bit scary," she said.

The couple face a confronting choice – either one of them quits their job or they all relocate.

"We'd move back to Melbourne … but I love living in the country," she said.

"It's one of those things I don't want to have to change but if push comes to shove, we don't really have an option and we're going to have to [move]."

Profit-based model

Federation University social and economic researcher Cathy Tischler said a big problem is that child care is generally run as a market-based system that relies on profit.

She said the fluctuation of viability made it even more challenging to keep staff in rural centres.

"This simply doesn't work in rural areas where we have thin markets and lots of challenges around maintaining a system with small numbers," she said.

"There has to be a better way to provide child care so that people in rural areas aren't left without opportunities for care for their children."