Shock as daycare centre suddenly gets shut down by state government – with parents forced to pick up their kids
Parents of children who attend a childcare in Sydney’s north were alarmed after a sudden order to collect them when the centre was shut down.
The NSW Early Childhood Education and Care Regulatory Authority confirmed on Friday it had suspended service operations at Jenny’s Kindergarten and Early Learning Centre in Lane Cove North.
The regulator said the closure was ‘due to significant concerns related to children’s safety’.
Parents and carers were asked to collect their children from the service immediately.
‘Children have been exposed to unacceptable risks, and we have taken immediate action to address those risks,’ a spokesperson said.
‘As our investigation is ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.
‘We acknowledge the challenge this presents for families, however, there is no greater priority than the safety of children.’
The authority said that, if families need support making alternative education and care arrangements, they can contact the regulator for information about other local services that may have capacity.
The NSW Early Childhood Education and Care Regulatory Authority suspended service operations at Jenny’s Kindergarten and Early Learning Centre in Lane Cove North
Parents and carers were asked to collect their children from the service immediately
An investigation into other Jenny’s Kindergarten services continues. The Daily Mail has contacted the daycare centre for comment.
The closure at the daycare’s Lane Cove North follows a suspension of Jenny’s Kindergarten branch in September, which the centre is appealing.
The service’s closure was due to ‘a number of serious incidents alleged to have occurred’ there, The Daily Telegraph reports.
Concerned father Eman Mojhla, who rushed to collect his daughter Nia from the childcare in Lane Cove, said parents have been left with questions after its closure.
‘It was surprise and shock at the same time … I don’t know what really is happening. It’s still a bit of (a) question mark,’ he said.
‘There’s not been much communication with the centre about what actually happened.
‘I’ve been told that they’ll send out a brief later today or maybe next week, so hopefully I get to hear something then.’
He said he ‘never had any concerns at all’ about the centre.
Jenny’s Kindergarten Lane Cove centre was rated as ‘meeting’ the National Quality Framework by federal authority ACECQA in the most recent review last December.
But six of the daycare’s branches are still under regulatory investigation, including those in Gregory Hills, Emerald Hills, Stanmore, Padstow and Bathurst.
