And families are asked to consider home-based care as an alternative.

Family Day Care Australia chief executive officer Monique Webber says her organisation’s home-based care could be a viable long-term career for ABC displaced child-care workers.

“In the current economic climate, many families need to work just to make ends meet, and without quality child care choices that becomes almost impossible,” Ms Webber said.

“Some of those ABC Learning centres will not be viable and will not remain open. I think that is pretty clear,” she said.

“What we’re saying to families and to child-care workers is: this is a good time to look around, to look at the alternatives that are out there for both families with child-care places and for staff who would like to work in another child-care service.

“We hope that the situation with ABC Learning will be treated as an important lesson and an opportunity to improve care and education for all young children.”

Family day care has been around for more than 30 years.

There is an Australian Government start-up payment of up to $1500 available for those who want to take on child care in their home.

Information on this subsidy is available of the Government website www.deewr.gov.au

A spokeswoman on child care for the Miscellaneous Workers Union Rebecca Reilly said her union was in talks with the Federal Government to ensure a future for the ABC centres.

“We should remember this is not just about the economy; we are talking about children,” she said.

A child-care worker, who asked not to be named, said Maitland would be particularly hard hit by the closure of any centres.

“There are so many people here who have moved from other areas and they don’t have families or others they can rely on for help,” Ms Webber said.

“Many of the kids in care here have working mums and dads, and there is nowhere else for the kids to go.”

Other centres had reported increasing inquiries since news broke that ABC Learning had gone into receivership.

Placement co-ordinator Jenelle Ycas, at Maitland Family Day Care in Metford, said it was hard to put a figure on how many had been inquiring.