‘Who can afford to work for free?’: Taylors Lakes educators speak out out on Genius Childcare scandal

Devastated early learning educators have detailed the emotional and financial toll the Genius Childcare scandal has had on their personal lives, with unpaid staff unable to afford rent and food.

Genius Childcare Taylors Lakes staff have detailed the emotional and financial toll they’re enduring after not being paid.

Devastated childcare staff have revealed how they’re borrowing money from their own parents and are digging into their superannuation to afford bills and groceries, after their employer failed to pay four-weeks’ worth of wages.

Educators from national early learning chain Genius Childcare, who were based at the now closed Taylors Lakes centre in Melbourne’s northwest, have detailed the financial and emotional toll they’re enduring as authorities investigate the company.

The centre on the Old Calder Hwy is one of 16 centres owned by Genius Childcare across the state, with a further 29 centres operating under the same name nationally, according to its website.

It’s also one of several Genius Childcare providers across the nation in financial turmoil, with multiple of director Darren Michael Misquitta’s businesses being investigated or have gone into external administration after having money problems.

Staff made the “difficult decision” to shut the Taylors Lakes centre’s doors on February 27, as they could no longer afford to pay for goods and services and it wasn’t viable for them to continue “working for free”.

The five team members, who spoke to the Herald Sun on the condition of anonymity in fear of retribution, allege they’re collectively owed more than $18,000 in unpaid wages from the company.

The five team members allege they’re owed more than $18,000 in unpaid wages.

Some members of the Taylors Lakes team have resorted to applying for new jobs, while others have been left in the lurch over the centre’s future.

All of them said they were waiting on four-weeks’ worth of wages and counting.

“With no income coming in, I feel completely stuck. My savings aren’t enough to cover everything,” one staff member said.

“Meanwhile, pay slips are still being generated, tax is still being deducted, but there’s no actual money being received.

“Families are blaming staff (for closing), assuming we are being unfair, but in reality – who can afford to work for free?”

Another staff member said the company’s failure to pay her has put a halt on plans to build her family a house.

“We’ve received absolutely no communication from (the company) and we’ve basically been left in the dark,” she said.

Her partner added: “I see her break down daily, so I’m worried about her mental and physical health more than anything else at the moment.”

A third educator is attempting to access her superannuation so she can pay for bills and groceries, while a fourth has had to ask her parents for money so she can meet her mortgage repayments.

Another staff member on maternity leave doesn’t know if she’ll get her leave entitlements.

The Herald Sun can also reveal these staff members had to put their own health and safety at risk prior to the centre closing, as they couldn’t afford to pay maintenance workers or cleaning staff.

One staff member said they were required to fix any maintenance issues themselves and were also required to clean areas usually tended to by cleaners.

The Taylors Lakes centre is now shut as it wasn’t viable for staff to continue “working for free”.

“We used to have two incursion companies that would come in and do a weekly program with the children but that got cancelled due to no payments,” the staff member said.

“Other centres haven’t been able to get Woolworths deliveries or nappy disposal services – all that stuff has been cut off numerous times because (Genius Childcare) hadn’t paid the bills.

“We would get maintenance people in who wouldn’t get paid and then I would be absolutely flooded with debt collectors contacting us for invoices from back in March last year.”

The staff have made complaints to the Fair Work Ombudsman, with a spokeswoman for the regulator saying an investigation into Genius Childcare group, including its subsidiary Abacus 49 Pty Ltd, is ongoing.

“It is not appropriate to comment further at this time,” she said.

Genius Childcare staff have set up a GoFundMe to support their fellow employees who are struggling to purchase essentials such as food and pay bills, or rent.

One of the Taylors Lakes team members who was taking stress leave, said “it was hard watching the last four years of your life go down the toilet over something you can’t control”.

“Early childhood education is already one of the lowest paid industries around, let alone having to try and support a family,” she said.

“There’s really no one we can go to, to support the team.”

The Herald Sun has contacted Genius Childcare and Mr Misquitta for comment.

Originally published as ‘Who can afford to work for free?’: Taylors Lakes educators speak out out on Genius Childcare scandal