Free child care has been a godsend for Dee Behan, who balances running two businesses with bringing up a two-year-old son — but she fears yesterday's announcement it is coming to an end will send her "back to square one".

• Free child care will end on July 12, and JobKeeper assistance for the sector will end on July 20
• The Government says free child care was a temporary measure to help the sector when demand was collapsing, but demand is now returning
• Some parents are concerned they won't be able to keep their children in care following the announcement

Her businesses were hit so hard by the coronavirus crisis, she could no longer afford childcare fees, so she pulled her son Max out of care.

But the Government's free childcare scheme meant she was able to re-enrol her son and work hard to make her businesses viable again — something that would have been impossible with a toddler at home.

The Sydney entrepreneur started a co-working space for women earlier this year, before many offices were closed, and she has an established graphic design company.

"We lost two of our [design company's] tourism clients, so that meant that income overnight went to zero," she said. "We simply couldn't afford to keep going as it was."

A return to the co-payment would mean withdrawing Max from care again, she said.

"That six-month plan that we put into place to get ourselves back on track is going to have to be completely stalled again," she said.

"We will be financially impacted and both businesses will be impacted.

"The thought of going back to square one again when we're on a trajectory of getting back [on track] right now … is just like going back in time again."

Read more:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-09/free-child-care-to-end-dan-tehan-announcement-parents/12301520