Childcare fee increases push single parent to consider cutting work
A Canberra childcare centre raised fees 29% over three years. One parent now spends 27% of income on care.
Single parent Ada Fitzgerald-Cherry chose Majura Early Childhood Centre in Dickson because it was affordable and run as a non-profit. After three years of fee increases, it now costs her $58 a day after the government subsidy, up from $28 a day in 2024.
Ada Fitzgerald-Cherry now spends 27 per cent of her take-home income on childcare alone. After rent and childcare, she said, three-quarters of her income is gone before groceries.
She is weighing whether to cut work hours or rely on the single-parent pension instead. Fees rose from $146 to $188.30 a day between July 2023 and November 2026.
Northside Community Service, which runs the centre, says fees have not kept pace with rising staffing and operating costs. The centre holds an "Exceeding" rating on the national quality standard.
Parents questioned where the extra income was going, noting no increase in staffing numbers.
- 27 percent of take-home
- Income spent on childcare
- $28 in 2024 to $58 currently
- Daily gap after subsidy
- 29 percent over three years
- Fee increase timeline
Why it mattersRising childcare costs are pushing working parents, especially single earners, to reduce hours or leave the workforce entirely.
AustraliaParents across Australia's early learning sector face similar fee pressures, forcing difficult choices between childcare costs and earning income.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 3 h ago
