Parents call for Melbourne City Council’s only CBD childcare to keep its doors open

CITY of Melbourne has blindsided parents and left them in tears by threatening to close its only CBD childcare centre next month, forcing them to scramble for an alternative.

MELBOURNE City Council has blindsided parents by threatening to close its only CBD childcare centre next month.

Parents burst into tears when they were told on Tuesday that the A’Beckett St centre could shut its doors.

They face years-long waiting lists at other city centres as they scramble to find alternative childcare in just five weeks.

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Hannah Newton with Eva, 5, and Lucinda, 2, Megan Trethowan with Henry, 1, Liz Bower with Molly, 2, Mieka Vigilante with Gia, 1, and Yan Wong with Michio, 2. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

Dad Phil Tang, whose one-year-old son Henry is enrolled at the centre, said the possible closure “had been sprung on us”.

“Mid-year intake is notoriously hard to get into,” he said.

“I’m stuck in a situation where I’m going to have to call on our parents for help or try to work out more flexibility at work.”

Mr Tang said the closure could also hit the hip pocket with commercial centres typically charging more than council-run services.

The council has offered two weeks’ consultation and transfers to its other centres in Carlton or North Melbourne, but some parents say this would add 30 minutes to their commute.

The council said in an email to parents that the childcare was under pressure from “rapid development” in the CBD and a jump in the number of nearby centres.

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A City of Melbourne spokesman said the council had been considering the centre’s future for several years, with utilisation as low as 50 per cent over the past five months.

It has previously survived two previous proposals to close.

“The building is not purpose-built for childcare and is not an optimal working environment for staff or for the provision of care and education for children,” the spokesman said.

“It is also in a very busy and congested part of the city that is not great for parents or children.”

But Liz Bower, whose two-year-old daughter Molly is enrolled at the childcare three days a week, urged council to call off the closure.

“The centre is like family, I can’t overstate it,” Ms Bower said.

“I get that it is a small centre, which is financially a challenge, but one size does not fit all.”

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@moniquehore