Families who use childcare and early education centres run by Central Coast Council are furious with the plan to raise fees by 10 per cent and worried about what it means for their working future.

One called it a cash grab, another said it was a rip off.

“This is a disgusting cash grab from Council who are trying to change the very premise upon which they provide these services in that the services are subsidised by the ratepayer base,” one said.

None of them wanted to be named, for fear of repercussions at their workplaces.

“As a single full-time working mother who is trying to make an economic contribution to society, it’s extremely disappointing when they put forward a proposal like this that punishes everyday working families who are already dealing with cost-of-living pressures on so many fronts,” the woman said.

Another said it appeared that Council wanted to bring its centres onto a level playing field with the private sector and yet provide half the service.

“My child was at a private centre last year and got nappies, breakfast, 7am start times, excursions and consistent staff,” they said.

“With Council, we get none of them.

“We have to provide our own nappies, and can get charged if we run out and they have to use spares.”

“Incursions/excursions are charged out of pocket – and are very rare for our poor kids,” one parent said.

“Breakfast is BYO and has to be signed in every morning.

“The centre only opens at 7.30am.

“We are asked to provide a piece of fruit daily and a hat.

“Other centres have hats provided and a healthy balanced diet is part of the fees.

“Other centres also offer discounts for public holidays if claimed beforehand, so we don’t get charged full fees for not attending.”

One parent said the centre they used has a huge proportion of casual staff at the moment.

“So the argument to start charging us public holidays is another money grabbing incentive as casuals don’t get paid those days anyway,” they said.

“We are lucky at our centre now that there are a few dedicated educators who love the kids and what they do, often forking out of their own pockets to give the kids the experience they deserve.

“I don’t see this changing with the price increase, and instead see us potentially losing some quality staff.”

One parent said they had no confidence that any of the extra money will make it to the educators or the facilities and curricula, who actually need it.

Council voted for the increase as part of its proposed budget for 2026/27 which will go on public exhibition soon for 28 days.

Council runs eight early education centres.

At the March 24 meeting, the proposal was opposed by some councillors but the vote went 9-5 to keep the increase.

It was part of a larger motion which adopted the budget with increased fees and charges, increased rates, water rates and waste charges and the operational plan which listed operational targets and capital works for the next financial year which starts on July 1.

The councillors who voted for the increase were: Team Central Coast councillors Lawrie McKinna, John Mouland and Kyla Daniels; Liberals Trent McWaide, John McNamara, Jared Wright and Rachel Stanton; Independent Liberal Doug Eaton and Labor’s Belinda Neal.

Cr Neal had earlier tried to get the childcare rise limited to 4.2 per cent but failed to get the numbers.

She urged residents to voice their concerns when the budget and operational plan go out on public exhibition.

This article appeared in Coast Community News, 2 April 2026.