The Lingalonga waitlist has fluctuated between 100 and 150 in the last year. Photo: Nikki Bailey.
A recent study found the Childcare landscape in Australia has improved overall but in Esperance, educator shortages and long waitlists continue to hinder parents desperate to enrol their children.
The waitlist at the Lingalonga Early Learning Centre in town has fluctuated between 100 and 150 over the past year.
Research by Victoria University found more than three children competed for every childcare spot in Esperance in 2024, classifying it as a ‘childcare desert’.
More than 25,000 young children in Australia are disadvantaged by the childcare system and the study showed regional and rural communities are suffering the most.
Across Australia the number of childcare deserts decreased from 34 per cent in 2020 to 24 per cent in 2024.
Childcare desert regions in WA reduced significantly over the same period from 62 per cent to 39 per cent.
But WA recorded the second worst childcare accessibility in the country and the figures from Esperance show the town has its own childcare challenges.
The Shire of Esperance and the Goldfields Esperance Development Commission (GEDC) have been devising plans to help combat this issue.
A Shire spokesperson said the Shire has advocated for improved resources, provided rental support to Esperance’s Lingalonga centre and approved the development of a new childcare centre in Castletown.
Once completed, the new development will accommodate up to 81 children.
But overall, childcare waitlists in Esperance extend far beyond that number.
Discussions with industry workers initiated by GEDC in 2023 found childcare shortages in Esperance stemmed mainly from staffing and housing challenges.
GEDC CEO Kris Starcevich said, “locally, educators identified there was a limited availability of professional development opportunities in the region, and that travel and the cost of bringing experts to the region were significant barriers.”
Lingalonga Early Learning Centre educator Kim Vermey mirrored the concerns raised to the GEDC and said accommodation scarcity was a major barrier to attracting staff to the centre.
“I’ll do an advertisement, and I’ll get multiple resumes but they’ll either not live in Esperance or they’ll be requiring sponsorship,” Ms Vermey said.
“We could always do with more [staff] – we’ve got enough to deal with our license side of it, but we have two days a week in one of our rooms that we don’t operate because we don’t have enough staff.
“We are currently going through expansion options to be able to take more children from the community but that’s obviously a funding-based thing.”
The Shire spokesperson said the Shire has advocated for more accommodation in Esperance for workers in industries that need accommodation support.
It is seeking funding from the state government for the development of 20 low-cost units, which is expected to cost $7.95 million.
Mr Starcevich said the GEDC is supporting the sector through free professional development workshops.
Esperance has six childcare services, including daycares and childcare centres.
