Swap kids to combat child care costs
A recent report in the Daily Telegraph of an investigation into the soaring costs of child care in Australia has revealed some full-time working mums are going back to work for as little as $3.44 an hour, the equivalent of a cup of coffee.
After they've taken childcare costs into consideration, not to mention income tax and other work related expenses, there is very little in the pot to make it worth going to work at all.
The Childcare Affordability in Australia report, prepared by AMP and the National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling, shows increases in the costs of child care have outstripped petrol price rises over the last five years.
"(Childcare) prices have increased sharply, they've gone up by more than twice what rent has, and three times the Consumer Price Index, so that's a challenge for government and families over the next few years because there is no magic way of making child care cheaper," NATSEM's principal research fellow Ben Phillips said.
So with the soaring cost of child care as well as other living expenses, together with the increase in part time work, surely one very sensible and cost-effective way to combat the lack of financial viability of going back to work is to go back to the old school community principle of sharing child care with other mothers in the community.
It's basically what would have been done centuries ago when women needed to work in the fields or to do other domestic duties. It's what is still done in some parts of the world and has many benefits, including feeling supported and supportive, being part of a nurturing community and enabling your child to form some great sibling like relationships with other children. This is particularly good for children who don't have any siblings of their own.
Many working parents don't have family to fall back on, and single parents in particular often struggle with child care and feeling un-supported. So if child care is hard to come by in your area or budgets are tight, an alternative to formal care is to share the load with other parents. This is particularly convenient for before and after school care but can really work for full day care for preschoolers as well.
Over 40 per cent of mums who responded to our recent survey said they worked part time. And if that's the case it's likely that one of your neighbours or playgroup friends is also working part time and if your respective employers are flexible enough to allow you to work the days your friend doesn't and vice versa, then you could be onto a winner!
It's win-win, as long as you follow some key rules. Here are the seven steps to harmonious child care sharing:
Compatibility: Clearly it's going to be easier if the children are roughly the same age and friends. It's not always possible but don't be tempted to ask a mum to share who has a kid either you or your child cannot stand!! It will be a very short arrangement!
Boundaries: Don't be overly flexible and make sure you set out your working relationship parameters. This is a form of business arrangement and both of you have to benefit. So set time boundaries in advance with the other parent, so you know just how far you can or cannot push the friendship!
Basic rules – discuss and agree the following:
- Daily or weekly allowance costs of activities or treats
- The amount of TV that can be watched
- Sweets and treats
- Discipline - Try to share with parents who have the same parenting style as you and agree on any discipline measures!
"Learning" activities. Agree on the amount of formal "learning" time you'll schedule into each day and the types of activities. There are lots of suggestions on the internet in terms of activities to help reading, writing, arts and crafts.
Structure - Structure the children's day as they would in formal child care with clear learning times, snacking times, lunch, rest and free time. Once you divide the day up into a timetable of sorts you'll find it also goes a lot quicker!
Car Journeys: Is your friend a shocking driver?! Let's hope not. But you have to be happy that someone other than you is driving your child about the place. Safety First - make sure you have adequate booster seats. Sounds obvious, but so easy to forget and you will be liable for prosecution if you're caught making that quick trip to the supermarket with any child without the correct car restraints.
Fun Days: Have a daily or weekly list of fun activities and some emergency "pull it out of the bag" ideas in times of need! Things like:
- "Cinema" days (at home or at the local cinema)
- Arts and crafts – making boats, painting, finger knitting, volcanoes, and puppet theatres
- Themed days (kids have to pick a country to dress as and learn about, bringing some facts about their choice)
- Dress up days – or make your own costume
- Nature trails – great for an all-day learning and fun experience in a local nature reserve
- Rockpool excursions to the local beach
- Science experiment activities (like making sherbet or slime! – easy to look up on Google!)
- Treasure hunts – either things you've hidden or simply a list of things to find like –"a dead bug", a hairbrush, a pink flower.
Explore different care scenarios when you can't find the care you'd hoped to.
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