Unfortunately, since the change in management, this centre has been deeply disappointing.
Communication has been consistently poor, staff turnover has been extremely high, and there has been very little stability for the children. In my daughter’s room alone, there were around eight different changes to lead and supporting educators over a 12-month period. When staff left the room or the centre, this was often not communicated to parents at all, which was extremely concerning as we were left not knowing who was supervising our children.
Basic expectations were often missed. Storypark updates were minimal or absent for weeks at a time, routines were not kept up to date, and incident forms were not always lodged or communicated to me as a parent. There were also ongoing concerns around food portions, with my child frequently coming home hungry.
During the warmer months, my daughter’s water bottle was regularly empty at pick-up, which was particularly concerning in summer.
Water play was also frequently restricted, with children not allowed to use water bubbles or engage in water activities because educators did not want them getting wet.
I also personally witnessed staff yelling, speaking abruptly to children, disregarding them during moments of emotional distress, and physically manhandling children, including my own daughter. These incidents were raised with the centre, however they were not handled appropriately and were left unresolved, which was extremely distressing as a parent.
Education has been incredibly minimal. Over the course of the year, my daughter has learned very little in terms of new skills or knowledge. Most days appeared to consist largely of free play, with occasional painting or drawing activities. I’ve had to put in significant extra effort at home to make up for the lack of structured learning and educational development.
The lack of resources, particularly outdoors, was also concerning. At times there were as few as two bikes available for 30+ children, with no books, no drawing equipment, and very few toys provided. Children were largely limited to whatever equipment was permanently left out, such as climbing frames and the slide, with little effort made to rotate or introduce engaging resources.
The end-of-year portfolio was another clear example of the lack of effort. It consisted of 19 artworks, almost all painting, with only one cutting activity. There was no documentation of learning or progress, no photos of my child participating in activities, and no electronic version provided. Despite clearly stating to the director that I wanted this portfolio before my daughter’s final day, it was only completed and provided after we had already finished up at the centre, and only after repeated follow-ups with management.
Events were poorly organised, staff do not wear name badges (making it difficult to identify who you are speaking to), and issues I raised directly with management were never properly resolved. Any short-term improvements would last a week or two before things reverted back to the same problems.
Every opportunity for improvement was met with disappointment.
Many of my friends have also removed their children from the centre after experiencing the same issues, across both the same room and different classes. Some have gone as far as reporting their concerns to the Department of Early Education.
I met with the owners and raised these concerns, but nothing meaningfully changed. Overall, this experience has left a very bad taste, and I could not wait to move my child out of the centre.
I would not recommend this daycare under its current management and ownership.
