She does this to counter the "heartbreaking" feeling of saying no to a family desperately trying to juggle their children and work.

It's something Mrs Splitt is having to do more and more each year, with demand for childcare places soaring across the Riverina.

"The childcare demand is definitely huge in Junee ... we have waiting lists galore here," she said. "I've got names down for 2025 on my waiting list for children who aren't even born yet."

The sky-high demand has been brought into focus by a landmark project mapping childcare availability in every Australian suburb, released earlier this month by the Mitchell Institute for Education and Health Policy.

The research revealed parts of Wagga have only one childcare spot available for every three children, while in Junee there is only one spot on offer for every ten children - with the report labelling the shire a "childcare desert".

Wagga may fall short of the desert label, but the shortage in childcare places is still being felt keenly by parents and educators alike.

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Nicole Wishart, director of Inspire Early Learning Centre, said some families have had to enrol their children in multiple childcare centres to ensure they have a spot each day of the week.

She said her 81-place centre was full to the brim with an extensive wait list, with the number of inquiries increasing all the time.

"It's a massive issue and the way it can be addressed is through more support from councils and the governments to help services increase their occupancies," Ms Wishart said.

The need for more childcare spots in Wagga was brought into the limelight earlier this year, when the city's councillors rejected an application for a 79-child centre in Springvale due to opposition from neighbours.

Councillor Georgie Davies fought passionately for the proposal to be approved, due to the difficulties Wagga parents face trying to find spots for their children.

"It's just unbelievably hard to get a spot in a centre let alone one which is close to you and convenient," she said. "As councillors we need to start being more supportive of DAs that come to us for childcare centres."

Lead author of the Mitchell Institute report, Dr Peter Hurley, said not being able to access childcare can negatively impact children's early development.

"There is a huge body of evidence showing the positive long-term impacts produced by high-quality early learning," he said.

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