An expansion of council-run Bega Valley childcare services is being investigated. Photo: Thomas Lucraft.
Bega Valley parents want long-day care that’s close to home and nature in a planned expansion of childcare services, a survey has found.
Bega Valley Shire Council (BVSC) currently operates three early childhood services — Eden Early Learning Centre, Bandara Children’s Services in Bega and Sapphire Mobile Preschool (which operates in Candelo and Bemboka).
In early 2024, the council committed to long-term planning to grow its services.
It would ultimately engage The Commercial Advisory Partnership to carry out a feasibility study into BVSC’s existing services, examining their extension or relocation and an operational model for expansion.
During a recent council meeting, Mayor Russell Fitzpatrick won support for his idea to move the discussion on the report to the closed section of the meeting.
It meant that councillors discussed it privately, but would vote to move ahead with planning.
In a statement after the meeting, the council’s director of community, environment and planning Emily Harrison said this represented the first step towards expanded services.
“The feasibility study examined local childcare demand, potential sites in Bega and Eden, and factors needed to support sustainable service expansion,” Ms Harrison said.
“Council-operated services in Bega and Eden are currently operating at or near capacity and families continue to tell us how difficult it is to secure childcare places.”
The feasibility assessment has not been released publicly, but the meeting documents included a report on the results of a previous survey.
In September 2025, the council conducted a survey to investigate the community’s needs around its childcare services.
According to the results, 73.58 per cent of the 191 respondents had experienced challenges in accessing early education and care.
“The need is primarily driven by long waitlists and limited availability, particularly for babies and toddlers,” the document says.
More than 40 per cent said they wanted care for three days a week, with 52.46 per cent wanting long-day care.
Preschool came second, with almost 25 per cent of people listing it as their preferred service type.
Parents gave conditional support for fee increases.
“Many cautioned against further increases, noting services are already expensive, especially in a low economical area,” the document says.
“One respondent argued expansion costs should not be covered solely by raising fees for existing families.”
Council meeting papers state that the Eden centre currently has 39 places, with 59 at Bandara. Photo: Region.
Respondents also called for an expansion to offer more spaces (especially for babies and toddlers), and asked for flexible drop-off and pick-up times and part-day fees to better accommodate varied work schedules.
Facilities such as trustworthy staff, outdoor spaces close to nature, accessibility features, cultural support and youngsters being separated by age were put forward as important considerations for families when choosing a childcare centre.
Most respondents lived in Eden or Bega, with the remainder spread across Merimbula and the nearby villages.
Following its acceptance of the study, BVSC is now expected to carry out further site-specific planning and concept development for a potential childcare expansion in Bega and Eden.
“This decision does not mean council has fully committed to developing new centres at each location, and there is currently no commitment for any capital works,” Ms Harrison said.
“What the decision does do is provide direction on where we should focus our efforts on more detailed planning and assessments, before reporting back to council.”
The full survey results are available on the council’s website.
