The future of family day care for 336 families in Dubbo remains up in the air and will remain uncertain until mid next year.
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Proposed changes by the federal government to the way family day care is funded has placed a question mark over the future of services, with plans to cut the amount of funding given to some organisations.
The cuts could force prices up or have a detrimental effect on the quality of service provided.
Unlike typical day care which takes place at a dedicated workplace, family day care involves educators using their own home. The 54 educators in Dubbo are overseen by Dubbo Family Day Care.
DFDC service manager Chriss Cronin said her organisation would reapply for funding next year and remained hopeful of being able to provide an unchanged level of service.
"Dubbo Family Day Care has reviewed the tighter eligibility criteria for funding. Council's view is that as the Dubbo Family Day Care scheme is the only scheme operating in the Dubbo area and that it services a regional community it should be eligible for operational support funding," Ms Cronin said.
"However, this is not guaranteed."
It looks almost certain DFDC will lose at least $30,000 in funding because of plans to cap funding at $250,000.
The government said it expected to save more than $157 million because of the changes and argued the funding was disproportionate compared to other methods of childcare.
However in Dubbo, there is a shortage of at least 100 places and there are concerns the latest issue could drive more educators away.
Educators have already been hit by changes which reduced the number of children one educator could look after from five to four, cutting their income by 20 per cent.
Ms Cronin said DFDC would reapply when funding applications open in April next year.
"The impact of the annual cap of $250,000 on CSP funding will also need to be considered in budget planning for 2015-16. These impacts may require Dubbo Family Day Care to look for further cost savings, receive additional allocations from Council's Operational Plan and Budget or potentially increase fees," she said.
"Dubbo Family Day Care will continue to seek clarification around eligibility and the level of CSP funding available in order to provide some certainty for the 336 families that utilise the service."
