Clare Stephens. The Childcare Conversation Australia Is Avoiding

We sat down with the legend, author, podcaster, screenwriter and content creator, Clare Stephens. Clare uses BubbaDesk Neutral Bay. And this is what she had to say…

 

“After I had my daughter, Matilda, I decided to shift to a freelance career. I was on deadline for my debut novel, as well as several other projects, and wanted to be in a workplace while still remaining close to my baby. She was just starting solids, we were establishing a sleep routine, and I really, really struggled being away from her for long periods of time.”

“I used BubbaDesk regularly for a little over a year, and had a wonderful experience. Matilda bonded with the educators, she made friends, and I loved that I could come and check on her whenever I wanted to. The co-working space was also brilliant.”

 

Did you ever experience tension between being “present” as a parent and “productive” as a writer? How did working in close proximity influence that tension, day to day?

All the time – and a lot of it was guilt. Should I have been prioritising my work when my baby was so little? Did she feel scared without me? Would it affect our bond? 

Working in close proximity meant I could see she was okay. I could assist her with going to sleep, I could give her a bottle, I could help with a meal. But I was also reassured that she was safe and well cared for, and if she needed me, I was right there. 

It was also the most efficient way of me getting writing done without being away from my child. I wasn’t wasting time dropping Matilda off, then commuting to work. I was with her, then I went downstairs to write, then I was with her again.

 

Was there a moment where you felt genuinely “seen” by the model (BubbaDesk), as both a worker and a mother? What did that feel like, and why did it matter?

I felt ‘seen’ when I was reassured about how happy Matilda was, how well she adapted, and how much fun she was having. The educators clearly know this is the main concern of parents putting their young children in any type of care – but the transparency is on a different level because I could walk in at any time and see her behaviour for myself. 

The educators regularly asked about my work and took an interest in my professional life. 

They were also able to provide insights into Matilda’s development – which, when you’re a new mum, is what you’re craving. They’d comment when she’d had a brand new burst of language. They reassured me when she was slow to walk. I was so grateful for how much they were able to learn about Matilda so quickly, and how they bonded with her so deeply.

 

Looking back, what do you think parents lose (emotionally, socially or cognitively) in a traditional separation-based care model that proximity care preserves or amplifies?

You lose a sense that you’re a part of it. At traditional daycare, you drop your child off and while you get photos and updates at the end of the day, there’s a clear divide between your day and your child’s day. There’s also the logistics of getting to different locations in peak hour traffic, and losing that time with your child.  

 

How did BubbaDesk’s environment, its supervision practices, physical design and parental participation, shape your sense of safety for Matilda?

I was attending BubbaDesk during the period where sickening reports emerged about children being abused in traditional daycare – particularly during nappy changes. At BubbaDesk, the nappy change area is out in the open. There is no opportunity for any sinister behaviour from educators. I also had peace of mind that the way the centre is set up, I could enter at any time and see immediately what was happening. Transparency is built into the physical design at BubbaDesk. High staff retention also means you get to know the people looking after your child and you deeply trust them.

 

In light of recent reports exposing serious childcare safety failures, do you see these stories as distortions of the broader system – or symptoms of a deeper regulatory and oversight gap?

I think some of the safety failures are specific to particular providers – for example, those who are driven by profit and therefore do not prioritise staff ratio or safety. But I also think the broad system is overloaded and parents are busy and rushing around to get kids to daycare and school, and there’s less time AND less opportunity to check in on your child throughout the day. 

 

How did editors, publishers or collaborators respond when you explained how you were working while your baby was nearby? Did it challenge or shift their expectations of productivity or professionalism?

Whenever I spoke to an editor, publisher or collaborator who was the mother of a young child, they were blown away. So many had been forced to a) put their career on hold while their kids were very young, or b) launch straight back into being at an office full-time and dealing with the emotional impact of that. In today’s workforce, so many of us have the opportunity to work flexibly/remotely, and a lot of parents are unable to take advantage of that because it’s logistically difficult with young children. But having a co-working space with built-in care allowed me to come back to work in a way I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to otherwise. Being at BubbaDesk meant I had access to meeting rooms, spaces to record audio/video, a desktop computer, and so on, so the people I was working with were blown away that I was having a productive, efficient work day with my daughter so close by.

 

When you speak with other parents about returning to work, what do you hear most often as the real constraint – cost, flexibility, trust, availability, or something less tangible like validation?

One of the constraints that I think often goes unacknowledged is that a lot of women don’t actually want to go back to the way they were working pre-kids. Having a child shifts your values, and it changes who you are. Of course, with the high cost of living, very few women have a choice about the nature of their return to work, but for those who have some flexibility, BubbaDesk allows for the best of both worlds. 

I know I was plagued by extreme guilt about returning to work with a four-month-old. I felt callous… like I was a terrible mother. Being at BubbaDesk eased that guilt tremendously, because I was there. I was still part of feeding and sleeping and playing. I just got to write a novel/develop a podcast/pursue screenwriting etc in between!

 

Many Australian parents don’t see alternatives as real choices because only long daycare/ family daycare is subsidised. From your perspective, how does this shape, or limit, parental agency?

I understand why there need to be strict guardrails around what kind of care is and isn’t subsidised, because ultimately the government has to answer for the standard of that care. However, on a practical level, for a lot of parents, alternatives like hiring a nanny, having a family member provide childcare, or using BubbaDesk would be a) the much preferred option, b) the more affordable option, and c) the better option for the child. 

I think Australia has to have a reckoning about childcare. If we’re only subsidising one type of care, and that care has serious, glaring issues, we’re putting parents in an impossible position. Add to that our current cost of living pressures, and the government needs to consider that we live in a country where both parents must work, and the system we have in place to allow that to happen is simply not good enough. 

 

We talk a lot about “choice” in childcare. Is that rhetoric masking a system where affordability, not preference, still determines behaviour?

I think a lot of parents would argue there’s not a lot of choice when it comes to childcare. You’re bound by your geography and what centres have availability and which ones you can afford. So I think most of us aren’t necessarily making choices based on preference – it’s a forced choice. 

 

Childcare enables workforce participation, yet it’s treated differently to other work-enabling costs. Should childcare be tax deductible (much like business expenses) given its economic role?

Yes. And a service like BubbaDesk should be tax deductible for sole traders/small business owners who are using it as a necessary workspace.

 

Do you think there’s a gendered dimension in how we legislate, fund and monetise care – particularly maternal labour? How does that show up in practice?

I think the gendered dimension runs through the care model, although it can be invisible from the outside. The reality is that women need to take some maternity leave in order to physically birth a child and care for that child in their first months of life. That maternity leave is career-disrupting, and usually it establishes the woman as the primary caregiver in the household, no matter how much you might want to have a fair and balanced family structure. For all of human history, this role has been taken for granted. Maternal labour is invisible, and as soon as we talk about it or interrogate it, we’re subject to social shame because mothers are meant to be selfless and endlessly sacrificial. 

The childcare sector itself is undervalued, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that it’s a heavily female-dominated profession. We don’t pay educators fairly – which is a reflection of the value we place on caring for children. 

 

If you had a national platform tomorrow, what single change would you advocate for in how governments structure, fund or regulate early childhood care?

Giving parents more options for early childhood care, that takes into account the evolving needs of a parent and a child in the early years. 

 

Finally, what would it actually take for policymakers to take alternative care models seriously – beyond pilots, language and lip service?

Pressure from parents. Buy-in from large businesses/ corporations – using those models and showing that they work. 

 

You can show your support for this model, but completing Australia’s Largest Survey of Parents. Have your say on Australia’s childcare choices now.