This post is a post pleading for desperate assistance and advices.
I am a single mother who has placed my 18 months old child in a childcare centre in Macpherson area. It is a nice place and my child is happy being there for 1 month now.
However, this month, September 2017, a bad news hit us. A fellow parent came to me on 12 September 2017 asking if I have read the news. I told her that I didn’t know about it and approached the principal to ask what was the news going around about. The principal shared with me that the owner has been sued for fraud but the childcare centres under them have not been given any instructions.
On the next day, the school contacted all the parents and gave them a date to attend a meeting to discuss this matter.
On 16th September 2017, 10am, the meeting was held by the childcare owner’s husband. Despite him not being the shareholder of the entity, he conducted the meeting. He apologized on behalf of his wife who was involved in the fraud case and convicted by the law. He told us that the school will cease operation by the end of the month. It came as a shock to us. We asked him if we would get back our deposits which we made upon enrolmment which is about $1000 over. We also asked him if necessary arrangements have been made to place our children in another childcare centre as this has been informed in a very short notice. He remained silent and did not give us any answers.
We questioned him further on whether ECDA will help us.
The response we got from him was that ECDA did visit the place but only to ensure all children are safe for the time being.
How is that sufficient? Is that all the government is doing for us?
I am a single mother who took time to raise the money for the deposit and school fees to place my child in a childcare centre so I can go to work and support my family.
What kind of security are we getting after placing such a big sum of deposit and yet not able to get it back now?
More than 20 children in the childcare centre have no childcare centre to go to in 2 weeks’ time. More than 20 parents’ deposits are stuck with the childcare centre.
Where is our support and help? We, as parents, believe ECDA is watching over childcare centres to ensure it runs well. In such crisis, why are we not receiving help from any of the organizations and authorties. We are helpless now.
Why is the government not taking action on all these operators? This is the 2nd case happening along Macpherson.
Please advise us on what we can do in this situation.
Source: FB post by Ummu Muhammad