Description:
This publication provides information on the state of child care in Australia. The report sources information from administrative data and survey data from the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, the Productivity Commission and the ABS.
Key findings
- There were more than 870,000 children using approved child care in the September quarter 2009, up 8% since the September quarter 2005.
- Early childhood education and care funding has more than doubled, up from $1.7b in
2004-05 to $3.7b in 2008-09.
-The number of long day care centres increased from 4,751 to 5,758 between 2005 and 2009. This is an increase of more than 1000 centres, or 21%, and equates to an average increase of about 250 centres each year.
-The number of children using long day care has increased by 15% over the past four years.
-The proportion of long day care hours being used has declined from 77% in 2005 to 75% in 2009.
-Out-of-pocket costs to families have fallen across all income levels. In 2004 families earning $55,000 a year spent 13% of their disposable income on child care, this has fallen to 7% in 2009.