General News
16 September, 2024
A challenge for places
Finding care for children is still a big problem adults face across the Wimmera - but it's not as challenging as in some towns in Victoria.
The ratio of care places available per child has increased from 2022 to 2024 across the region according to a a study by Victoria University's Mitchell Institute, with West Wimmera ranking the best locally at 0.641.
Stawell - 0.610 - is next in terms of number of places, followed by Nhill Region (0.566), Horsham (0.486), Yarriambiack (0.427) and Horsham Surrounds (0.103).
Statewide, Ararat's access is the best at 1.171 places, while Benalla Surrounds is the worst, at 0.000.
Mitchell Institute director and lead author of the study, Associate Professor Peter Hurley, said the world-first global tracking of childcare access provided vitally important information.
“We know that high-quality accessible childcare has huge benefits for both workforce participation and helping young children to thrive," Ass Prof Hurley said.
The report also showed the number of childcare places in Australia increased by about 70,000 between 2020 and 2024.