Camden Community Early Learning Centre to close by end of the week, leaving staff jobless and parents without childcare

Camden Community Early Learning Centre staff were advised on Tuesday that they will no longer have a job as of Friday — with parents now left without childcare as of next week.

Camden Community Early Learning Centre staff were advised on Tuesday that they will no longer have a job as of Friday — with parents now left without childcare as of next week.

The centre, in Carlisle St in Camden Park, will shut it doors on Friday after serving the community for almost half a century.

It was placed in administration after running into financial difficulties this year — with a lifeline from West Torrens Council in September last year not enough to save it.

Vanessa Rameh, Childcare Director of CCELC told The Advertiser/Messenger: “We are absolutely devastated. It’s just a massive loss to the community, with no notice to families or staff.

“More than a dozen childcare staff have been given four days — they were advised on Tuesday that they would not have a job on Friday. So our early learning centre closes down after 49 years of operation.”

Ms Rameh said the closure of the childcare centre could also have a big impact on over 100 volunteers and several elderly groups that use the community centre’s facilities.

The Camden Community Centre is a non-for-profit organisation that assists about 300 people every week, providing 60-70 two-course hot meals for community members and 120 meals for children in the Early Learning Centre.

The Centre also runs social programs, an op shop, a men’s shed, an art group, a community garden and various specialised activities.

The hope is that once the early learning centre is sold off the array of other community services offered at the Camden Community Centre will keep operating.

“What has happened won’t just affect the early learning centre but everyone else too — it’s huge,” she said.

Camden Community Centre CEO Joe Seric declined to comment saying “it’s out of my control now” and referred all queries to the administrators.

Administrator Tim Clifton from Clifton Hall told Messenger: “It’s a bit of an unfortunate situation really because this association has been going for a while and its got the point where the childcare centre has unfortunately started to lose money.”

He said the resources of childcare section of the Camden Community Centre were “not great” and there was not much in the way of hard assets or cash to continue.

He said there was “a fair bit of competition” in childcare services in the area and CCLEC’s numbers had halved from its 36 capacity to 18.

“The idea is to stop the bleeding with the childcare aspect and then hopefully we will be able to keep the rest of the activities and services going.

“The global ideal at the moment is that we’ll try to sell the childcare centre side of it and then hand the other activities back to the Camden Community Centre.”

A letter to parents from Ms Rameh on Tuesday stated: “We regret to inform you that Mr Timothy Clifton and Mr Simon Miller of Clifton Hall were appointed as Joint and Several Administrators over the Camden Community Centre on 25 February 2019.

“As a result, the Camden Community Early Learning Centre (CCELC) will cease trading close of business on Friday, 1 March 2019. We recommend that you make alternate childcare arrangements as soon as possible.”

Parents were asked to contact the following childcare centre which had vacancies: Goodstart Early Learning, Kurralta Park; Goodstart Early Learning, Somerton Park/Glenelg; and Camden Park Community Childcare.