Academy Childcare: Making a brighter future

課程專案簡介 Course Program Introduction

Date｜02.2024-05.2024

Place｜Brisbane, Australia

Course｜ The University of Queensland, Social Enterprise and Not for Profits

在澳洲，我們發現弱勢媽媽常因被社會支持系統忽而陷入無家可歸的風險。因此我們設計一套兼顧社會影響力與財務可行性育兒模式。我們透過研究調查設計穩健的系統，我們決定在當地的教堂建立和營運Academy Childcare，並僱用弱勢媽媽在Academy Childcare工作，同時他們可以參加Free-Free-Tafe專案，獲得培力並在獲得認證後投入產業成為即戰力，解決澳洲教育產業人力短缺問題。此模式為弱勢媽媽提供育兒服務、支持他們成為childcare工作人員，解決財務問題，也獲得知能價值與心理價值，同時也為孩童提供公平的教育權。

In Australia, we found that vulnerable mothers are often at risk of homelessness due to being overlooked by the social support system. In response, we designed a childcare model that balances social impact with financial sustainability. Through research and field studies, we developed a robust system and decided to establish and operate Academy Childcare within a local church. We employed vulnerable mothers to work there, while also supporting them to join the Free-Free-Tafe program. This allowed them to receive training, gain certification, and eventually enter the childcare industry to address Australia’s workforce shortage. This model not only provides childcare services for vulnerable mothers but also empowers them to become childcare professionals—helping resolve financial stress while gaining professional and psychological value. At the same time, it ensures children have access to equitable early education.

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設計問題 Design Problem

在澳洲，成為父母本就不容易，特別是當他們處於弱勢處境時。在我們社區的核心，有許多年輕母親正面臨無家可歸的風險。她們在原本應該提供協助的社會支持體系中逐漸被忽視，孩子的未來也因可能遭受發展性傷害而變得黯淡，陷入貧窮的循環（Eastwood, Shaw, Garg, De Souza, Tyler, Dean, MacSween, & Moore, 2019）。

Being a parent is hard in Australia, particularly in a position of vulnerability. In the heart of our community, there are young mothers at risk of homelessness.  Slipping through the cracks of social systems meant to support them, their children’s future looks bleak, with the risk of developmental harm creating a future of poverty （Eastwood, Shaw, Garg, De Souza, Tyler, Dean, MacSween, & Moore, 2019）. 

目前約有13萬名失業的弱勢媽媽正在扶養6歲以下的孩子，而在孩子進入義務教育之前，家長需要找地方安置孩子，好讓自己能夠工作賺錢。然而，系統性的根本問題是：無法獲得育兒照護服務。而他們之所以無法使用兒童照顧中心，根據澳洲政府2024報告顯示是因為在澳洲城市中，每1,000名兒童中只有約380人能夠獲得核准的托育名額——而在偏遠與地區性地區，這個比例更低。

With about 130,000 unemployed single parents who have children under 6. Without a support system, they are unable to work, gain financial independence, or access education and skills training. The desperate need to fill the gaps left by overstretched social systems is clear. However, the essential systematic problem is that "They cannot access childcare services." Why they are unable to access childcare? The Australian Government’s 2024 report on childcare shows that only about 380 out of 1,000 children in Australian cities have access to approved childcare spaces – and these numbers decrease for remote and regional areas. 

澳洲弱勢媽媽困境

這樣的處境讓他們感到焦慮與憂鬱。社會支持系統已過度負荷，亟需有力的解決方案與填補。Academy Childcare 的解方不只改變了一代人的生活，更為兩代人培育出更光明的未來。

This situation leaves them feeling anxious and depressed. The social support system is overwhelmed and urgently requires strong solutions and intervention. Academy Childcare’s solution transforms lives and nurtures a brighter future for two generations.   

設計POV Design POV

為此，我們需要思考的是該如何建立一個長期的支持系統，幫助澳洲弱勢媽媽賺錢，同時讓他們3-6歲的孩童也可以被照看與獲得公平的教育，也可以解決澳洲教育工作力短缺的問題？

To solve this problem, we need to consider how might we build a long-term support system to help vulnerable mothers in Australia earn an income, while their children aged 3-6 are cared for and gain equitable education - all while addressing the national shortage of early childhood educators.

於是我們開始研究澳洲文化背景與政策脈絡，我們有四大發現：

第一、在澳洲，公立的育兒中心並不普遍，多數為私立育兒中心，而根據澳洲政府報告顯示，2023年大約有25%托兒公司幾乎沒有利潤或入不敷出，因此為支持私立育兒中心運營，澳洲政府提供Child Care Subsidy (CCS)幫助家庭支付育兒中心費用，若為弱勢家庭，每週依據評等可獲得40-80%補助支持。

第二、澳洲政府也提供Centrelink福利補助金協助退休人士、失業者、家庭、照顧者、父母、殘障人士、學生，而弱勢媽媽可以從中每週獲得480元澳幣福利金。

第三、澳洲政府開辦Free-Free Tafe專案，目的是為了解決技能短缺問題，並支持優先行業的發展，而教育產業包含在其中，當弱勢媽媽上完9個月的Tafe課程，即可獲得Childcare worker認證證明，後續媽媽也可以再進修獲得文憑。

第四、根據訪談，多數澳洲媽媽有上教堂的習慣，在教堂組成互相扶持會，互相看顧小孩，再加上教堂場地租賃費並不高，因此若可以運用他們習以為常的行為與系統，就可以進行穩健設計（Robust Design）。

綜上所言，為了符合利害關係人的需求並設計穩健的系統，我們決定在當地的教堂建立和營運Academy Childcare，並僱用弱勢媽媽在Academy Childcare工作，同時他們可以參加Free-Free-Tafe專案，獲得培力並在獲得認證後投入產業成為即戰力，解決澳洲教育產業人力短缺問題。

Therefore, we delve into understanding the cultural background and policy context in Australia and we found that:

Firstly, in Australia, public centres are not common, with most being privately operated. According to the Australian government's ACCC report in 2024, around 25% of childcare businesses were operating at little to no profit or at a loss in 2023. To support the operation of these private centres, the Australian government offers the Child Care Subsidy (CCS), which helps families cover childcare costs. For vulnerable mothers, the subsidy can cover 40% to 80% of fees per week, depending on their assessment rating.

Second, the Australian government also provides Centrelink welfare payments to support retirees, unemployed individuals, families, carers, parents, people with disabilities, and students. vulnerable mothers can receive approximately AUD 480 per week through this support.

Third, the government offers a Free-Free TAFE program aimed at addressing skills shortages and supporting priority industries—including the education sector. After completing a 9-month TAFE course, vulnerable mothers can obtain childcare worker certification, and they may continue their studies to earn a diploma.

Fourth, many Australian mothers attend church regularly and form mutual support groups where they help each other look after their children. In addition, church venues are relatively inexpensive to rent, so by leveraging these familiar behaviours and systems, a robust design approach can be adopted.

提案模式

社會企業的財務與社會影響力目標

The Financial and Social Impact Goal of Socail Enterprise

社會企業和企業以及公部門最大的不同在於營運的目的。對於企業來說首要任務是賺錢，而公部門側重於社會福祉，有沒有可能同時兼顧賺錢與社會福祉？社會企業成為一種可能的解方。這意味著持續經營商業模式與兼顧社會影響力是同等重要。在Academy Childcare權衡商業模式與影響力時，我們透過單位化我們的目標受益方來衡量，亦即以1位弱勢媽媽（Valnerable mother, VM）與1位3-6歲孩童（Spaces）為單位。我們發現，在此模式中需要達成：

The key difference between social enterprises, private companies, and the public sector lies in their purpose of operation. For companies, the primary mission is profit-making, while the public sector focuses on public welfare. But is it possible to balance profitability with social impact? Social enterprises offer a potential solution. This means that maintaining a sustainable business model is equally important as achieving social impact. At Academy Childcare, we evaluated our business and impact goals by unitizing our beneficiaries—one vulnerable mother (VM) and one childcare spot (Space). Through this model, we aimed to achieve:

• 財務目標：在設定每年6萬澳幣的淨利下，每個月需要販售333 spaces才能完成

• 社會影響力目標：計畫預計3年支持20VM，則需要每月出售136spaces才能支付營運費用，而當這些VM投入到Academy Childcare時，可以為他們帶來：

  • 提供託兒服務

  • 支持他們成為託兒所工作人員

  • 解決他們的財務安全問題

  • 讓他們避免焦慮和抑鬱，感覺更加自給自足

  • 為孩童提供公平的教育權Academy Childcare每個月可販售477spaces，這意味著這是一個可以兼顧財務與社會影響力目標的商業模式

    
    

• Financial goal: To reach an annual net profit of AUD 60,000, we need to sell 333 spaces per month.

• Social impact goal: To support 20 VMs over three years, we need to sell 136 spaces per month to cover operational costs. By engaging these VMs in Academy Childcare, we can:

  • Provide accessible childcare

  • Support them in becoming childcare workers

  • Improve their financial security

  • Help reduce anxiety and depression, fostering self-sufficiency

  • Ensure fair educational opportunities for children

Academy Childcare每個月可販售477spaces，這意味著這是一個可以兼顧財務與社會影響力目標的商業模式。

Given that Academy Childcare can sell up to 477 spaces per month, this demonstrates a business model that effectively balances both financial and social impact goals.

Academy Childcare財務與社會影響力目標

Academy Childcare 的前提假設

The assumption of Academy Childcare

在這個商業模式中，我們做出了大量假設， 其中的關鍵因素涉及受益人的規模、受益人的需求和必要行為改變的可能性、Academy Childcare所獲得運營所需的技能和資源的能力、這些資源的可用性、是否有足夠的客戶會接受我們在教堂提供的育兒服務，以及我們是否可以在環境中具有競爭力。 這些假設中的每一個都需要通過檢查點進行測試來驗證它們。  

Attempting to create actionable knowledge from uncertainties, we made assumptions to help specify deliverables necessary to provide the childcare service.  Key among these relate to the size of the beneficiary pool, the beneficiary’s needs and likelihood of requisite behaviour change, the childcare’s ability to acquire the skills and resources necessary to run it, the availability of those resources, whether sufficient numbers of customers will take up our offer of childcare in a church, and whether we can be competitive within the landscape.  Each of these assumptions require testing through checkpoints to validate them. 

根據對成本、支出和學習的重要性，在教堂中創建一個小規模的育兒服務是一個有價值的檢查點， 假設成功啟動，每周的入學審查將有助於評估客戶需求、對定價的反應、人們喜歡教堂位置的程度以及競爭力。

Given the importance of cost, expenditure, and learning, establishing a small-scale childcare service within a church serves as a valuable checkpoint. If successfully launched, weekly enrollment reviews can help assess customer demand, reactions to pricing, preferences for the church location, and overall competitiveness.

另一個主要的假設是，將有大量渴望成為育兒所工作者的弱勢媽媽。 雖然我們認為他們將通過外展慈善機構採購，但根據 64% 的 ECEC 行業完成率，我們預計受益人的流失率將達到 50%。我們可以將其定義為部分成功，因為我們為受益人提供的最初經濟和情感支援可能為他們的生活狀況提供了穩定因素，使他們感到有能力退出該計劃並尋求其他途徑。 雖然倒數第二個成功是獲得證書畢業，但每一次支援對有貧困孩子的苦苦掙扎的母親都是有益的。企業的成功不必僅僅根據畢業率來衡量，而是要根據對個人受益人生活的影響以及這種影響可能對改善其孩子的未來產生的連鎖反應來衡量。正是預期的高流失率突顯了該企業的輔助使命。 我們在假日提供額外的合作機會，弱勢媽媽們一則可以參加手作或是製作蒙特梭利課堂材料，利用她們從參與中獲得的知識，通過自己的努力來獲得支援。

Another key assumption is that there will be a significant number of vulnerable mothers eager to become childcare workers. While we think they will be sourced through outreach charities, we anticipate a 50% churn rate of beneficiaries based on the 64% ECEC industry completion rate. One can frame this as a partial success in that the initial financial and emotional support we afforded the beneficiary may have contributed an element of stability to their living situation such that they felt empowered to exit the program and pursue other avenues.  While the penultimate success is the graduation with credentials, every ovation of support is beneficial to a struggling mother with children living in poverty.    The success of the venture need not be gauged solely on the graduation rate, but by the impact on individual beneficiaries’ lives and the ripple effect this impact may have on improving their children’s future. It’s the anticipated high churn rate that underscores the venture’s auxiliary mission, which is to provide an entrepreneurial factory accessible to mothers on their free days.  Facilitated in part by church members, mothers either participate in the default community activity of making and selling Montessori classroom materials, or using the learnings gleaned from their involvement in the online business to be supported through the launch of their own endeavour.   

雖然不是每個人都適合成為育兒所工作者，但一旦成為 Academy Childcare 大家庭的一員，每個人都通過他們的存在和想法貢獻價值，通過共同的目標和合作成功的新範式打破貧困的迴圈。

Building on the idea that, while not everyone is suited to be a childcare worker, once part of the Academy Childcare family, each individual contributes value through their presence and ideas and breaking the cycle of poverty through shared purpose and a new paradigm of cooperative success. 

課程團隊

課程｜Social Enterprise and Not for Profits

教授｜Dr Jonah Zank

團隊｜Yu-Hsuan Liu, Tracy Fortt, Yen-Ting Liau, Jo-Chieh Huang, Chen-Shun Chung, Yo-Ting Liu