G8 Education - a private childcare provider of around 500 hubs across the country - operates Hill Street Children's Centre, Albert Street Children's Centre and Great Beginnings Orange.

A spokesperson for the company said those centres are battling the same staffing issues that most across the industry are currently grappling with.

"This can make it difficult to welcome new families to our centres, as the recruitment of quality educators can take longer [and] our top priority is on providing high-quality education and care for our children and families," the spokesperson said.

A two part deep-dive by the Central Western Daily into the early learning sector - and the pitfalls those both using the industry for care and those employed by it face - revealed what many are calling "staffing chaos", which is having a huge impact of families across Orange.

In Part I, local workers and parents voiced their concerns for the Orange region, along with the sector's "childcare deserts" and imbalances with staff-to-child ratios - leading to why waiting lists are jampacked and early educators are difficult to find, keep and attract.

In Part II, skeletal staffing issues were unpacked further, pointing to a dire need for reform across the childcare sector - and what the flow-on effects of staff upheaval are to educators, working parents and child development.

G8 Education is one of Australia's largest childcare corporations and is not immune from the staffing shortages in the industry, while the state's Minister for Education and Early Learning, Sarah Mitchell, believes staff retention was key, rather than recruitment, for the industry.

A spokesperson from G8 Education - a private childcare provider of around 500 centres currently operating across the country - says the local hubs it operates are Hill Street Children's Centre, Albert Street Children's Centre and Great Beginnings Orange.

With close to 50,000 nation-wide enrolments on the books, G8 Education says it's committed to offering in-house education programs for its workers, such as Certificate III, Diploma and Bachelor qualifications, with support ranging from allocated paid study time, mentoring programs and financial aid.

It also says it conducts "regular reviews" across the board, to ensure that the company is "meeting the needs" of its workforce across the board.

"G8's purpose is to create the foundations for learning for life and we recognise our educators are at the core of fulfilling that," the spokesperson said, "... [and the company is] dedicated to investing in our teams and attracting new team members by providing professional development and career growth opportunities.

"As a national network, team members also have the opportunity to move within the network of centres or transfer into support office roles as they grow and progress in their career.

"G8 Education regularly reviews [its] offerings to ensure we are meeting the needs and wants of all early learning educators."

Support for workers in the early education sector was also highlighted by the New South Wales Minister for Education and Early Learning.

Lacking a presence of depth when it came to addressing specific queries, Ms Mitchell says she is "committed" to backing the industry overall, with professional development also a priority.

"I am committed to supporting the early childhood education and care sector because I know the difference that access to quality ECEC makes for our littlest learners," Ms Mitchell said.

"NSW was the first state to sign onto the Preschool Reform Agreement which will ensure every child in NSW will receive high quality education in the year before school, regardless of where they live or their background."

With the rate of "childcare deserts" growing from an estimated 13 to 35 per cent between 1996 to 2017, Ms Mitchell noted the sector's need for continued support through its ongoing plan - which started around four years ago and aims to upskill and retain early education staff.

"The NSW Early Childhood Education Workforce Strategy 2018-2022 has seen the NSW Government support the ECE sector with a range of initiatives, including scholarships, professional development opportunities, training, and resources," she said.

"This support will continue as we move through 2022 and beyond [and] there is further support for the workforce through the NSW Governments Smart and Skilled program and Job Trainer, which offers fee-free or subsidised training in [ECEC] qualifications."

Ms Mitchell also says the Department of Education will continue to work closely with workers and families within the ECEC industry, with G8 Education saying it "welcomes efforts of the government" to make early learning more affordable.

"Addressing skilled labour market shortages is also an issue of importance to us," G8 Education's spokesperson said.

"And we are committed to working closely with the government and those in the sector to achieve the best possible settings for Australian children, families and educators."

The Central Western Daily also reached out to Goodstart Early Learning, but the failed to respond to the questions asked. Goodstart runs two childcare centres in Orange.

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