Please be advised of an important decision regarding PARC’s Childcare service.
Following an in-depth service assessment and review, we have made the decision to permanently close the PARC Childcare service, with the final day of operation to be Friday, 20 December 2024.
Context
The popularity of the Childcare Service has ebbed and flowed over the past 10 years, and the service has faced additional challenges in the post-pandemic environment. While attendance has stabilised more recently, the service has always operated with a subsidy, to keep the cost of the service low. In recent years, the cost of maintaining this subsidy has increased significantly, surpassing what we can sustainably support.
These increasing pressures are due to growing legislation and administration requirements, additional staff ratio necessities, and the Victorian Government’s investment into free 3 and 4 year old kinder, which has reduced the demand for PARC’s childcare services.
We have been monitoring this service for over 2 years, and it has been a difficult realisation for all of us. We know how much this service has meant to our community and our people, and we’ve had to make the tough decision to cease this service at the end of the year.
What does this mean for me?
First and foremost, we want to acknowledge the incredible dedication of our Childcare team. For those of you who have used our Childcare, you would know they have dedicated their time and energy into making PARC Childcare a safe and nurturing place.
Childcare sessions will continue to operate in a limited capacity between now and Friday 20 December, so please continue to book in via the Customer Portal as normal.
Contact
We understand that you may have questions. If you would like to speak to a member of staff about this, please contact our General Manager – Operations, Chetan Patel, via chetan.patel@peninsulaleisure.com.au.
If discussing the closure with our Childcare team, please be mindful that they are also working through the news and may not have all the answers to your queries. Our priority now is to support our Childcare team through this transition.
