IN the next 18 months, 44 extra childcare places will be available in Broken Hill.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns, Deputy Premier Prue Car, and Minister for the State’s Regions Tara Moriarty made the announcement at Busy Kids Childcare last week.
The State Government is providing Far Western NSW childcare centres with a share of $5.6 million to make space for extra children.
Broken Hill’s Busy Kids Childcare is receiving $1.4 million from the pool of cash to expand from 44 places to 88.
The project, which will fund nine full-time positions at the centre, aims to persuade young workers to settle in the region confident their children will be cared for during the workday.
The funds will be delivered immediately via the State Government Regional Development Trust Fund’s Western NSW Workforce Activation Package.
Additionally, $4.4 million will be available to increase childcare places across the far west of the state in early 2025.
Ms Car said the extra spots should available in the next 18 months.
“One of the biggest issues, full stop, is people being able to access childcare,” she said.
“The funding recipients will be able to open their doors to more families. It will help with whatever they need to do to expand.
“What we see as our role is giving them the financial ability to be able to grow.
“Because if you’re a smaller early learning centre that can only cater for 20 children, in order to go to 30 or 35, that costs money.
“So this injection of funding will help them do that.”
Minister Car said she has heard some young professionals leaving the region simply because they cannot access childcare.
“Yesterday I was talking to some young teachers that had come from Newcastle or Wollongong, and the answer to their questions of if they stay longer-term in Broken Hill and start a family here is to do with childcare,” Minister Car said.
“It impacts all these other essential services particularly in education and health.”
