Parents struggle to find daycare places
5:00AM Sunday March 16, 2008
By Megan Jones
The childcare shortage is reaching crisis point, with some providers closing waiting lists. Desperate parents are being advised to register their unborn children as soon as they know they are pregnant to secure places in popular centres.
The tipping point is the subsidised childcare scheme introduced last July, which offers 20 hours' free care a week for children aged 3 and over.
One centre on Auckland's North Shore says inquiries have at least doubled since the introduction of the scheme. Murrays Bay Childcare Centre has a two-year waiting list and has closed its doors.
The new scheme has had a "significant" impact on the demand for childcare, says manager Gayle Newby.
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