Childcare centres are luring parents in with free coffee

The owner of a Newcastle childcare facility has defended the centre’s decision to provide free onsite barista-made coffee to parents in the morning.

Rumpus Room owner Richard­ Rule said that the small expense of hiring a barista for two hours was something that adds great value to their customers.

‘It becomes a moment when parents pause as they wait briefly for their coffee and fosters valuable conversation,’ he told the Daily Telegraph on Saturday.

The Rumpus Room owner said the small expense of a barista adds great value to the customers

‘Parents pause as they wait for their coffee and [it] fosters valuable conversation,’ Mr Rule said

And they aren’t alone – the Chifley Early Learning Centre’s website lists ‘a complimentary barista-made coffee and fresh baked treats for parents to enjoy in the parent­ lounge or take away’ among their facilities.

The Sydney-based centre, which charges fees of up to $155 a day include children’s activities such as yoga, meditation and relaxation classes.

But the Federal Childcare Minister Simon Birmingham has slammed the offering, saying that taxpayers should never be expected to subsidise luxury services and add-ons like barista-made coffee.

‘If parents want those other add-ons, they should pay for them and not the taxpayer.’

Chifley Early Learning Centre’s website offers parents ‘complimentary barista-made coffee’

Federal Childcare Minister Simon Birmingham has slammed the offering as a waste of money

Some families can receive up to 50 per cent of their childcare fees back from the government

However the Australian Childcare Alliance, which represents private childcare and daycare centres, said that the cost of barista was more than covered by the enrollemnt of just  one child.

‘If you get one extra child spending $100 every day that’s $25,000 a year which well and truly pays for the barista, who comes in for two hours each morning,’ ACA NSW president Lyn Connolly said.

But it’s a double-edged sword – ‘But you might get another six mums enrolling because they want a morning coffee,’ she added. 

 ACA NSW president Lyn Connolly said the cost is more than covered by the fees for one child

Parents will soon only be able to claim subsidies for long day-­care costing up to $11.55 an hour

Childcare fees are currently subsidised by the government, and eligible families can receive half of their out-of-pocket costs back.

But that is also about to change – in July 2018, the government will cap the amount that parents will receive in rebates, ostensibly to keep fees down.

Parents will only be able to claim subsidies for long day-­care costing up to $11.55 an hour or $138.60 a day for centres that charge for a 12-hour session, a change that will affect up to 15 per cent of centres.

Mr Birmingham told NewsCorp in October that the introduction of an hourly rate cap would ensure that childcare costs – which have increased by an average of $3000 since 2011 – don’t keep rising.

‘The introduction of the hourly rate cap is firstly a necessary measure to arrest incessant child care fee increases and secondly will provide Australian families with a benchmark price so they have a reference point to hold providers accountable and from which they can expect prices shouldn’t dramatically exceed,’ he explained.

Mr Birmingham also said that the cap is designed to protect both parents and taxpayers from subsidising things ‘unrelated to quality early childhood education and care’.   

Mr Birmingham said the introduction of an hourly rate cap would keep childcare fees down

Mr Simon Birmingham also said that the cap is designed to protect both parents and taxpayers