'I got a small pay rise at work. Our childcare fees are now crippling us.'

From an anonymous Melbourne-based mother of two.

This week, I opened an email from our daycare that left me in tears.

It confirmed our worst fear: our childcare fees are going up again. Not because we're using more days or services — but because we worked hard, received a small bonus, and updated our income as required.

Now, we're paying more than we were before our eldest child started "free" kinder.

Watch: In this clip from This Glorious Mess, Mamamia unpacks how rising childcare costs are forcing Australian parents to choose between their careers and their kids. Post continues below.

We have two kids — one is three-and-a-half, the other is two — both in long daycare while my husband and I work full-time. We have no family nearby. Like many families, we're doing everything we can to keep our heads above water — career, parenting, bills, mental load — all in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis.

Until recently, we were paying $617 per week for childcare, after the Child Care Subsidy (CCS) was applied. When our eldest started the Victorian government's "free" 15 hours of kinder this year, our weekly fee dropped to $459. It felt like a win. Even though the shorter kinder hours made life more complicated, the cost savings helped.

Then, both my husband and I got modest bonuses at work — recognition for years of hard work in demanding, community-serving jobs. We did what we're supposed to do: we reported our updated income to Centrelink.

Now our CCS has been reduced dramatically.

As of May, our weekly childcare cost is $630.86. Our subsidy dropped from 68 per cent to 41 per cent for one child, and from 80% to 59% for the other. We're now paying more than we were before "free" kinder.

We didn't get rich. We just got ahead a little. And now we're paying the price — not just in tax, but in childcare subsidies. It feels like we're being punished for trying to do better for our family.

We want to keep working. We want to keep contributing. But it's hard not to wonder: Why bother?

The current CCS system creates a trap. For every dollar families like ours earn, we lose more in subsidies. It discourages career growth. It disincentivises ambition. It makes it harder for women — and men — to stay in the workforce, especially once you factor in the mental load and logistics of reduced kinder hours.

And worst of all? It devalues early childhood education.

Listen: In this episode of The Quicky, Mamamia looks at rising childcare costs, shrinking subsidies, and how Australia's broken system is forcing parents out of work. Post continues below.

Childcare shouldn't be a luxury. It shouldn't be a penalty for working parents. It should be treated like a public good — just like school. We know that quality early learning is critical for children's development. We also know that parents — especially mothers — can't work without it.

We're not asking for handouts. We're asking for a system that makes sense. One that actually supports working families to get ahead — not one that punishes us for doing everything right.

Because right now, we're being squeezed from both ends — and something has to give.

To read more, try reading these:

• • "My Career Can Wait. I Just Want To be A Mum."
  • The Lie Working Mothers Tell
  • Introducing Me After You: Exploring Stories Of Motherhood And Identity

Feature: Getty.