Best places in Sydney for childcare
Ask any Sydney parent, juggling a job and a young child is a tough ask, especially when you can wait up to three years to place your youngster at some daycare centres.
However, there are hundreds of vacancies in childcare centres in the west and southwest of Sydney, and in some cases even an oversupply.
And it is the childcare centre itself providing the information as it fights to ensure there is affordable care near where parents work and live.
Concords newest childcare centre is a good example; it could take two years of waiting to get a spot.
Carol Tannous-Sleiman, CEO of Greenwood Early Education Centres, puts it down to high demand.
She said: "We are experiencing the same high demand in Macquarie Park and Brookvale that we have just recently opened."
But while new data reveals there's a desperate shortage in areas closest to the city, in Sydneys west it is a different story.
Childcare operator Lyn Connolly believes centres should only be given government funding if they can prove there is a need and explained: "It is simply because there are too many centres in the area, we must produce a planning system."
The highest number of vacancies are found in Western Sydney, including Blacktown, Parramatta, Liverpool and Penrith.
As you move towards the city the number of open spots decreases.
The fewest vacancies are found on the lower north shore, the eastern suburbs, parts of the inner west and Manly.
But it is not just about quantity, it is about quality as well.
Ms Tannous-Sleiman added: "We've got parents coming from Merrylands to Concord so there is demand there. It comes down to what you offer."
Childcare experts are calling for more transparent and available data, not only on places and waiting times but also other factors that have an impact on demand.
Samantha Page, Early Childhood Australia CEO, said: "It does depend on changes to demographics, workforce participation and transport routes, which have a big part to play in that."
