- Mums left wondering how they will put food on the table
- Childcare crises gives them no hope
EXCLUSIVE
Families fear they face ruin after a vital childcare centre suddenly closed with just one hours’ notice while other local creche facilities have a three-year waiting list.
Working mums, including nurses, teachers and aged care workers, have been devastated after Coast Childcare closed its doors without warning on Friday.
Executive Officer Stephanie Wallace delivered the devastating news by email at 4pm, saying the Woy Woy centre on the NSW Central Coast was no longer viable.
Aged care support nurse Krystal Cleere, 36, is one of 42 families affected and says she was sent into ‘utter panic’ when she received the news, nine hours into a work shift.
She fears she will have to give up her new job to look after her children in the wake of the closure.
‘My first thought was how are we going to be able to pay our rent and feed our kids?’ she told Daily Mail Australia.
‘I’m just months into a promotion at work and I am worried I will lose my job and then what? Homelessness?
‘There are no available spots [at alternative child care centres]. I have colleagues who have waited more than two years and still don’t have an offer.
‘I haven’t slept in three days after getting that email and I have had panic attacks.’
Midwife Eleanor Ackland, 38, says the closure is devastating for their family.
‘My partner is a doctor and I am a midwife, so we heavily rely on daycare to be able to work,’ she told Daily Mail Australia.
‘The shortage of doctors and midwives on the coast is well documented, so the closure of the centre just confounds the issue further.
‘The handling of this by Coast Community Connections beggars belief. There has been no other communication to those impacted other than the ambiguous and confusing email.
‘It’s hard to even comprehend the impact this will have on our family and all the other families too. For us it means a potential loss of income in a cost of living crisis.
‘The impact this will have on my child breaks my heart to think about. She trusts and adores her educators, they are really important people in her life.’
The five-sentence email gave little explanation and was filtered into some parents’ spam folders, which meant many only found out about the closure on social media.
The email said there were ‘unforeseen circumstances,’ which apparently happened overnight, with parents claiming the centre was still taking enrolments 24 hours earlier.
It apologised for the short notice and acknowledged the inconvenience but added: ‘Our service is no longer viable to continue to operate Long Day Care at this time.’
The troubled nonprofit facility had earlier changed its name on re-enrolment forms from Coast Childcare Long Day Care to Peninsula Before After and Vacation.
Single mum-of-four Brie, 46, had her youngest daughter enrolled for four days a week to enable her to earn enough money to support her large family.
The domestic cleaner says the sudden news has turned her world upside-down.
‘I drove past today and burst into tears,’ she said.
‘If I don’t work, we will struggle big time with grocery prices through the roof. How will I do Christmas? How will we survive?’
Ms Wallace updated tearful staff on their job losses on Monday and admitted to Daily Mail Australia she had only been in the job for nine days.
She said the board of directors had made the final decision to abruptly close the centre and she had been left to implement the plan.
NSW Department of Education said they didn’t run the service but were concerned by the closure and were investigating.
‘The NSW Early Childhood Education and Care Regulatory Authority made contact with the service today,’ said a spokesman.
‘The department is making enquiries about the circumstances around the closure.
‘We understand the impact that service closures have on families.
‘Anyone who has a concern or complaint about an early childhood education and care service can contact the department on 1800 619 113 or email ececd@det.nsw.edu.au.’
