Family claims ‘Nothing but crickets’ from Edge Early Learning Centre in breach of multiple child safety laws

A family embroiled in a legal fight with a Gold Coast early learning centre which breached child safety laws, including drawing on their kid, claims it has stopped responding to emails. Full story.

A Gold Coast family is stuck in a legal battle with a national early learning childcare. Picture: Future Urban

A family embroiled in a legal battle with a national early learning giant accused of breaching multiple child safety laws say they’ve been met with radio silence for weeks.

The Gold Coast couple, whose complaints of negligence triggered an investigation into an Edge Early Learning Centre’s conduct, claimed the childcare has ceased responding to emails and legal documents.

The early learning centre had allegedly phoned the mother’s ex - not the child’s father - to pick up her son. Staff had also drawn on the couple’s three-year-old son with a marker.

A three-year-old Gold Coast boy was drawn on in marker by early learning centre staff, his parents are now pursuing legal action over negligence claims. Picture: Supplied

The Queensland Early Childhood Regulatory Authority investigation into one of a dozen Edge Early Learning centres on the Gold Coast found:

- an enrolment system failure to enter the child’s details correctly, resulting in the mother’s ex-husband, not the father, listed as an authorised nominee and contacting him to collect the child;

- a failure to store prescribed information on the child at the service;

- the centre using a pen to circle birth marks and skin tags on her child’s body “he has had since he was a baby” and inferring “he had ring worm”, found to be a breach of National Regulation Interactions with children.

The three-year-old’s parents have since launched legal action against the childcare and lodged an assault complaint with the Queensland Police Service’s (QPS) Gold Coast District Child Protection & Investigations Unit (CPIU).

The QPS investigation has since been finalised but CPIU did not comment.

The mother said: “In September we decided to start the litigation and engaged with our lawyers. They sent correspondence to Edge and they (Edge) were initially responsive and then they stopped responding.”

She lodged complaints Queensland Education and Queensland Human Rights.

“[They said it was] likely they wouldn’t be looking at our complaint until at least eight months. In that correspondence, they suggested we seek our own private legal assistance.”

When the couple first engaged private solicitors, they claim the early learning centre was forthcoming with responses.

“[Our solicitors] reviewed everything and decided to send a letter,” she said, adding the first went on September 23 to Edge Learning.

“The response that came was not from Edge Learning, it was from Gallagher and Bassett, which I believe is an insurance company.

“So when Edge says that they responded to us, they absolutely have not. I have not heard from them [directly] since the 29th of August which is when they asked me to pay a bill,” she claimed.

Edge Early Learning initially responded to the couple’s claims of negligence saying: “We have been actively engaging with the family involved to address their concerns and provide support.”

The couple claimed they stopped receiving correspondence from the early learning centre after they sent the finalised report from Education Queensland which found it to be in breach of multiple child safety laws.

“They were so responsive when that report from Queensland Education hadn’t come out, saying we had no basis for a claim but as soon as the report [finding against the centre] came out it was just absolutely crickets,” the mother claimed.

The couple also claimed they have not heard from Edge Early Learning or Bassett and Gallagher since September last year.

Last month, the couple sent an email to Edge Early Learning CEO Annie Bryce. They said Ms Bryce allegedly responded, offering to meet with the family to come to a resolution. But the family claim Ms Bryce recently rescinded her offer to meet, saying all further communications should be handled by “appropriate third parties”.

In response to the claims made by the couple, a spokesperson from Edge Early Learning defended its communication.

“We deeply value the trust families place in us and take their concerns seriously. Once the issue was brought to the attention of our senior leadership team, Edge has been actively involved.

“Because of the family’s decision to pursue compensation and engage legal representation, however, it has become necessary for all correspondence to be handled by appropriate third parties.

“Multiple attempts have been made to contact and engage with the family in 2024 and early 2025, including this week.”

Originally published as Family claims ‘Nothing but crickets’ from Edge Early Learning Centre in breach of multiple child safety laws