Families don’t all live the same way. Childcare policy should reflect that.

Parents already juggle complex care arrangements. This campaign is about ensuring government support works with families – not against them. 
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The reality of childcare for Australian families

Australian families already use many different forms of care. Parents combine time at home, help from grandparents, centre-based care, and flexible work to make life function day to day.

But public policy hasn’t kept pace with real family life.

Funding and rules are still built around a narrow, standardised model of childcare, even though no single approach works for every child or every family.

This campaign exists to restore balance.

A system that supports flexibility is not only kinder to families, it works better

We believe parents are best placed to decide what care arrangements suit their children — especially in the early years.
A system that supports flexibility is not only kinder to families, it works better: it reduces stress, supports workforce participation, and reflects how care already happens in practice.

This is not about removing options or attacking providers. Centre-based care plays an important role. But it should be one option among many — not the default imposed by policy design.

Our simple principle is this: the government should support parents, not providers.

Meet our team

Jen Fleming

I’m a working mum to two little girls, and alongside my husband, Tom, we are doing our best to balance family life and work like so many parents across Australia.

We’ve tried to make the childcare system work, and like many families, found it rigid, exhausting and often at odds with what felt right for our kids.

Childcare Choice was started by parents who know the challenge of balancing work and family life. What began as a shared frustration has become a national movement for families who want something better.

Our goal is simple: to make 2026 the year children and families are given genuine choice in who cares for them.

Madeline Simmonds

Madeline is a senior corporate affairs professional with extensive experience across the resources and infrastructure sectors and, most importantly, a very proud mum of three young children.

After years of struggling with infertility, Madeline welcomed her first child in 2017. Like so many working parents, she was determined to make the most of precious time at home with her children while continuing a career she loves.

Her family initially relied on a mix of support from grandparents and babysitters, but as their family grew, they turned to live-in au pairs. For several years, this arrangement has provided the flexibility, consistency and reliable support that helps their household manage the daily juggle, including having another trusted adult available when plans change at short notice.

Through conversations with other mums, Madeline realised how many families are struggling to find childcare options that truly fit their needs - beyond traditional, for-profit childcare centres. Those conversations inspired her to co-found Childcare Choices with Jen, campaigning for more flexible, family-focused childcare options and greater choice for working families under the Child Care Subsidy (CCS).

Our simple principle is this: 

The government should
support parents, not providers. 

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