Childcare Brokerage in Australia
Posted on May 19, 2005
We have had many experiences with searching for childcare in and around Brisbane, and I have always maintained that things would work better if waiting lists were maintained centrally (perhaps by a government department) so that parents didn’t have to put their child on 50 waiting lists, and so children could be automatically removed from waiting lists when the get in. (Obviously some special circumstances might apply, like where you really want to get in to a particular day care centre, so you will want to stay on their list even when you get in somewhere else.)
Failing a centrally organised list, the next best thing would be to have a childcare broker. This person/organisation could put themselves (rather than a specific child) onto waiting lists around the state, and when you sign up with this company they find the first available spot they have held in your area.
I turns out that there is a mob that can arrange something like this for you. They call themselves API Leasure Lifestyle, and they say they are “Australia’s leading member benefits organisation dedicated to improving the quality of life of its members by providing exclusive benefits and services,” whatever that means. Anyway, on their Child Care page they say:
Consultants can identify child care services in your area, then contact each service to determine who can best meet your needs.
API’s Childcare referral service provides you with timely, unbiased and tailored information to the needs of you and your child.
Sounds good. Costs $99 for a yearly family membership. Might look into this.
UPDATE: This link just appeared as a google ad on my page. They claim to help find childcare centres. These people do too.
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