Parents back 24-hour childcare despite critics

Sandra Jane was surprised and upset at the criticism of her planned 24-hour childcare centre, Miracles. Picture / Dean Purcell

The arrival of 24-hour childcare to New Zealand this week met swift condemnation.

Some parents likened it to a "boarding school" for young children, while others, like advocacy group Family First Lobby, called it a result of "parental selfishness".

All this came as a bit of a surprise to Sandra Jane, the woman behind Miracles, the 24-hour facility and kids' hotel in Parnell.

"I found it upsetting because a lot of parents - and a lot of mums especially - find it difficult to drop their child off somewhere. Some of them feel really guilty. It's a really difficult thing to allow somebody else to take care of their child."

Some of it, she felt, came from perceptions that children would be staying with her 24 hours a day, all week long.

"That is not my intention. The target was for parents who needed that break away, whether it be for one night, whether it be a couple of nights, or whether it be a business trip."

Her phone has also rung "non-stop" with calls from interested parents, all supportive of her venture.

Ms Jane is no stranger to a bit of childcare innovation. Wanting to work and also spend time with her three young children, she set up a preschool in South Auckland in 1986.

"There was just a huge outcry - because we taught children. We taught the 2-year-olds. [The attitude then] was, 'you can't teach children who are two'."

Various groups decried it for not allowing children to be children. But the parents disagreed, and what started out as a small facility for her children and the children of friends soon had to expand. "It's interesting that every childcare I come across now has to have an education programme."

It was there that she started regular "camp nights" for the 4-year-olds.

"It was a really neat time where for some of the children, it was their first night away from the parents. They were really excited - and hey, mum and dad got one night where they knew their child was safe."

That - and seeing plenty of "stressed-out parents" - helped form the basis of her latest venture.

It would enable parents to spend quality time together, and for stay-at-home mums to just be with other adults, said Ms Jane.

"What does she do with the children just to go to the hairdresser? We may get a situation where a grandparent is seriously ill in Christchurch or Dunedin, and it's not appropriate to take the child with them."

She does not foresee parents keeping their children with her long-term - nor would she want to.

"I don't want for a child to be with me and fret as to where the parents are."

Instead she expects her client base to be large, but would only need her services on a casual basis.

With just one Yellow Pages listing, 40 parents have already registered their interest.

She hopes to open in June.

"I'm a great believer that not all centres suit all children, and not all centres suit all parents. And that's why we've got the diversity of centres out there. And mine is just another choice. And surely parents should have a choice."


Kids 24/7

* Occupies two floors of an apartment block on Heather St, Parnell
* Provides daycare for preschoolers (from 3 months), after-school care, evening babysitting and overnight stays for older children (up to 14 years)
* Has entertainment area, games room, dining area, homework and computer rooms, and separate sleeping areas for boys, girls, and siblings wanting to be together
* Council consent limits numbers to no more than 75 children (55 preschoolers and 20 school age children) and 19 staff.