Kids' hotel offers childcare around the clock

Sandra Jane's aim is flexible care. Picture / Dean Purcell

Twenty-four-hour childcare has arrived in New Zealand - a sign parents and childhood education experts say is a reflection of changing work patterns and family arrangements.

Aucklander Sandra Jane has gained council consent to use two floors of a Parnell apartment block as a 24-hour facility and "kids' hotel" catering for up to 75 children aged between 3 months and 14 years.

The 24-hour concept is believed to be the first in New Zealand, although it is common in countries like the United States.

Most New Zealand daycare centres close at 5.30pm, although in Auckland, the closing time for most is about an hour later. Parents incur a penalty fee if they pick up their children after closing hours.

Ms Jane's Heather St centre, Miracles, will offer membership-based casual care for children 24 hours a day, a preschool programme for the under-6s, and a programme for school-aged children before and after school - and during the holidays seven days a week.

Parents can also opt for their children to have overnight stays, where they can be shuttled by centre staff to school the next day with a packed lunch if required. Children can also be booked for week-long stays if parents have to head out of town.

Evening baby-sitting sessions for all age groups are also available for parents wanting a night out.

Ms Jane said many families faced time pressures and parents who worked might find themselves sometimes needing to leave their children in daycare for longer than anticipated, and with meals catered for.

A one-off membership fee of $100 applies, and casual rates start from about $15 an hour. Entry is capped at 55 preschoolers and 20 school-aged children.

"A huge sector of the market needs the flexibility of childcare. If I can just lessen that pressure even for just a short while, I'll be happy."

Ms Jane, who started and ran a preschool facility for 17 years, hopes to open her new venture in June. Twenty parents have already registered their interest.

Early Childhood Council chief executive Sue Thorne said it was a new concept in New Zealand, although the ability to have a 24-hour licence had always been available.

"I think it will come down to whether or not the demand is there."

Ms Thorne said some parents, such as shiftworkers, struggled to get childcare. "There can be some real issues with the fact that we've traditionally offered a 10-hour day.

"If you don't fit within our working day, the centre-based services are not particularly useful. We don't offer that much flexibility to operate past that."

Ms Thorne said only six hours a day was subsidised by the Government, making it expensive for operators to provide more hours of care.

"Perhaps in Parnell that will be less of an issue, but I think to be paying the full cost - unsubsidised - of any sort of child care would be out of the realms of most parents' budgets."

Parent Teacher Association president Diane O'Sullivan said parents used to be able to rely on extended family or friends for help, but that was changing as families became more isolated.