Parents blindsided by Mosman Occasional Childcare closure
Parents have banded together to lobby Mosman Council to reconsider a decision to replace an occasional childcare centre with sports facilities.
Mosman
Don't miss out on the headlines from Mosman. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Parents have told the Mosman Daily they were caught off-guard when council announced Mosman Occasional Childcare Centre (MOCC) would close its doors.
The MOCC is the only service in the council area to offer centre-based casual childcare. The centre also allows one-day per week childcare. It is the only council-operated daycare in the area and runs at a considerably cheaper hourly rate than many other local childcare centres.
A group of about 40 mums and dads have since formed a community alliance to encourage Mosman Council to reconsider its decision to replace the MOCC at Allan Border Oval pavilion with a sporting centre.
One member of the Save Mosman community alliance, whose daughter attended MOCC, Alison Lee, said she was upset that council was simply removing an essential service that helps women rather than finding a solution.
She worries about how the closure will affect the community in the future. “It’s about supporting women in the community,” Ms Lee said.
“When I was on maternity leave, I couldn’t afford to send my child to a more expensive daycare … and no other centre would take her for one day,” she said. “Who’s going to help mums when they need to go to a medical appointment or a job interview?”
Another parent, Victoria Quayle, said the council is offering a number of alternative services which don’t include casual childcare.
“Most centres offer two days as a minimum. A lot of families will lose out,” she said.
“(The council) have said there is enough childcare in the area. But it’s not the same in terms of the cost or flexibility. You can book in a child for a couple of hours while you go to the hairdresser.”
Ms Quayle said MOCC costs $107 per day while other childcare centres average $200 per day.
MOCC is set to close its doors in December. Pat Purcell was one of about 8 women who opened the daycare centre in a church hall in the early 1980s. It was originally designed as an occasional care service to “help mothers feel good about themselves” and give them a break.
“We were told there was no need for it back then but it was booked out all the time,” she said.
“Occasional care is important,” Pat said. “(I’ve heard from) so many women who say they’ve had post-natal depression and MOCC helped. Usually you need your childcare organised way ahead of time.”
A Mosman Council information sheet provided to parents of the MOCC, said: “While Council is not aware of any other service in Mosman providing centre-based occasional care, demand appears to be quite low and the licensing requirements to provide occasional care elsewhere are the same as those for building a new child care centre or refitting an existing building as a child care facility.”
“Council is currently exploring with other childcare providers the potential for them to offer an occasional care service to meet market need,” it read.
It also said that Mosman is well-served for long day care “with sufficient places to satisfy current demand”.
Some members of the Save Mosman community alliance will meet with the Mayor on Friday to discuss their concerns.
Mosman Council recently withdrew the DA for a 38-place centre at Balmoral Park, which would have provided occasional care and long day care for two to five-year-olds. The proposed centre would have replaced the 40-place occasional childcare provided by MOCC.
The council currently provides the premises for Jack and Jill Kindergarten which grants 42 places for long day care, and Northern Nursery School which accommodates 60 preschool children.