Local MP and working mum Felicity Wilson dropped by the new BubbaDesk in Neutral Bay this week and said she wished the concept was around when her children were younger.
“This would have been a godsend for me with little babies,” said Wilson, the Liberal member for North Shore in the NSW Parliament.
“My daughter was eight weeks old when she started in daycare and I was going in and out trying to breastfeed, pump and freeze milk. Then my four-year-old, I put him in daycare across from my office so that I could continue to breastfeed there.”
Wilson acknowledged a lot of other people don’t have that kind of flexibility, which is where she said BubbaDesk – which combines ancillary childcare with coworking space – can make a real difference to working parents.
“Women want to be able to make choices,” she said. “Do they want to put their children in long daycare, do they want care at home, or do they want an option where they can use a coworking space, with access to other minds and a daycare onsite?
“I think BubbaDesk fills that area particularly well. It’s great care, but also offers the opportunity for women to pursue their careers and do it around other adults.”
BubbaDesk founder Lauren Perrett said the Neutral Bay facility, which is in partnership with WOTSO, soft launched in mid-January and has attracted strong interest, with a full opening planned for early March.
She said the BubbaDesk’s partnership with WOTSO will expand, with a commitment to open a second joint site at WOTSO’s Dickson flexspace in the ACT by June.
“We’re very pleased with how it has gone so far,” Perrett said.
For working mum Veera and her daughter Lumi (pictured), BubbaDesk at Neutral Bay has made a meaningful difference to their lives.
Veera says the workspace is great, the childcare is very good, and she can see her daughter anytime she likes, while being much more efficient than at home.
