This child care shortage has affected both working families and those seeking respite care and has been the cause of considerable stress for some.

For Bega Valley Family Day Care - who provides care for well in excess of 300 children every week - the problem has been replacing retiring carer educators.

The total number of registered carer educators in the Shire has dropped over a 12-month period from 32 to 25, leaving some families with no care.

Despite extensive promotion and advertising campaigns, suitable new carers were not coming forward.

“The standard expected of carer educators is very high,” scheme co-ordinator Zanette Burr said.

“They must be able to provide a safe, welcoming, child-friendly environment which meets all regulatory requirements.

“They must be prepared to do ongoing training and quality improvement and attain Certificate III in Children’s Services if they don’t already have it.

“They must have the ability to run their own business and, above all, they must have a passion for working with children.”

This month, however, the tide has turned and no less than seven applicants have met the selection criteria and been approved for registration as Family Day Care Carer Educators.

These applicants are located in the Eden, Millingandi, Tura Beach, Tathra and Bega areas and should be ready to start working from early July.

Families who are interested in enrolling their children in Family Day Care or want to find out more about it are encouraged to contact the Bega Valley Family Day Care co-ordination unit on 6492 3788.