Winning ways to avoid a childcare waitlist.

If you’re looking for a popular early learning centre in a populated area, then you’re probably not alone! Great centres and specific suburbs attract a lot of interest, and unless you get lucky with a vacancy, there’s a high chance you’ll have to put your name down on a waitlist (or three) before locking in a spot.  

If you need childcare soon, this can feel frustrating, disappointing or downright “no fair” (in the words of your under five), and although some waitlists move quicker than others, you don’t want to be left in waiting list limbo.  

It’s much better to take a proactive approach, which helps to ensure there’s a spot available for your kiddo where you need it, when you need it.  

Here are four ways to make the waitlist work for you: 

1. Start your childcare planning early 

Although childcare probably isn’t the biggest thing on your mind when you’re growing a baby, pregnancy is the ideal time to search, compare, shortlist and choose care for your unborn child.  

This is especially true if you’re looking for a placement in the first 12 months of their life – when educator to child ratios are low and baby rooms fill up fast – or if your location is filled with families looking for care.  

Benjamin Balk, KindiCare’s founder and CEO says, ‘If you leave the childcare search to the last minute, especially in high-demand areas, you might find yourself struggling to find care for the number of days you need each week, or even have trouble getting a spot at a service that matches your family’s culture, philosophy or approach to education and development, so it’s best to start your search as soon as possible.'

If you’re not sure how to do this, or are prone to procrastination, then don’t worry.  

The free KindiCare app makes it super easy to research and compare childcare services in your locale, based on factors like convenience, cost, capacity and quality.  

Each service has a KindiCare Rating, which is a current, data-driven score out of 10, and this makes it even simpler to create a shortlist of prospective services. 

Once you’ve done this, it’s important to visit your favourites in person. If you like what you see (and feel) during a centre tour, then put your child’s name down, with a guess-estimate of when you’ll need the care.  

We promise your future self will thank you!   

2. Apply for multiple waitlists 

Although you might fall in love with one service during your childcare search, it makes sense to sign up with several. 

Joining a few waitlists helps to ensure you get a great choice when it is time to ease your little one into early learning, and if you’ve left your childcare planning a bit late, then being on several lists increases your chance of securing a spot you badly need.  

Just make sure you’re clear on costs. Individual services put their own price on waiting list applications, so keep track of all fees you pay, get receipts, ensure each application is in writing, and make sure you’re clear on what happens to your cash if you don’t get a place at the service or find one elsewhere. Refunds aren’t always a given.  

3. Build a relationship with centre staff  

In life, great relationships take you places, and in childcare, they very often get you placements. 

Positive connections keep you in the waitlist loop, and from the moment you make an enquiry, to when you walk through the door, it’s important to be friendly and engaged with the centre director and educators.  

These people know the waiting list process inside out and can share important information and advice. For example, if you’re wondering how many kids are on the waitlist, whether it’s capped, how long it might take for a spot to open up, or what to do in the meantime, you only have to ask. 

Going forward, you strengthen the childcare relationship by staying in touch.   

Regular courtesy calls or emails show you’re committed to the childcare search, keen to track your progress on the waitlist, and super keen not to blink and miss a vacancy.  

A friendly visit to the service now and then also keeps your childcare needs front of mind, and if you require a placement soon (or yesterday!), a face-to-face chat with the centre director may just help.  

They know when kids are moving rooms or leaving the centre, and because online systems are sometimes slow to catch up with the ins and outs of centre life, centre staff are your best point of call for up-to-the-minute vacancy info. 

4. Consider all your options 

If there’s a big squeeze on centre-based care in your area, or every parent on Earth seems to want the same days as you, it also helps to think outside the square. 

Instead of just focusing on long day care, put every childcare type on the table, and see which ones offer quality care without the queue. A family day care or nanny may fit nicely with your needs, and this article gets you up to speed on the different childcare options. 

If your suburb is in high demand, then a wider search can also work wonders with waitlists. A longer childcare commute might be worth it to secure a spot somewhere excellent (and available), or maybe you need to flip your search on its head, looking for childcare that’s closer to home than work, or vice versa.  

Speaking of work, it also pays to have a childcare conversation with your employer. They may have inside info about early learning opportunities in your office building or city block, and if you’re a part-timer, maybe you can move your days around to take advantage of a vacancy. You won’t know if you don’t ask.  

Waitlists vary, but planning and communication is always key 

There’s no doubt that waitlists are a common problem for families, and KindiCare’s latest Early Childhood Education and Care Market Insights tell us that demand for long day care is especially strong in New South Wales, Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory. 

It’s also interesting to see how the pandemic has affected demand.  

Mr Balk says, ‘Since COVID, with flexible working available to a lot of employees, we’ve seen much higher demand in the suburbs versus city centres. Demand in high growth areas, such as Pimpama in Queensland, and Marsden Park in New South Wales, have as much as 7.7 times the demand for early learning versus the national average.’ 

And no matter where you live, or what days you need, the best way to avoid a lengthy waitlist is to plan early, keep your options open and genuinely connect with centre staff.  

Mr Balk says, ‘It’s really important to visit a number of services, build relationships with centre directors and educators at your preferred places, and stay in regular contact to ensure you have the best chance of getting a spot and are always front of mind when they review their centre’s waitlist and availability.’ 

Good luck, and happy searching! https://kindicare.com/