Affordable childcare gone

A vital crèche service will be shut, leaving parents like Kylie (with Hazel and Tommy) and Gemma (with Ivy and Oliver) stranded. 244101_04 Photo: STEWART CHAMBERS

By Shelby Brooks

Over 300 people have signed a petition to keep a vital creche service up and running in Pakenham.

The Cardinia Life Creche will be shut down next month, leaving parents stranded without affordable childcare.

Kylie Hutchinson started the change.org petition, which has gained 306 signatures in less than a week, begging Cardinia Shire Council to change the decision.

She relies on the service for her two children Tommy and Hazel.

“The creche service offers three hours of affordable care for parents, both members of the gym as well as non-members, knowing their child is in the best of hands,” Kylie said.

“For me, those three hours were so incredibly vital for my mental health.

“I love my children dearly but it gave me three hours to recharge, do my groceries or attend appointments whilst my children got to play with other kids, other toys and were well looked after.”

Manager of active and connected communities for Cardinia Shire Council Kristen Jackson said the creche would close from Friday 6 August.

“Aligned Leisure and Cardinia Shire Council made the joint decision to close this service following a review into the creche services offered at Cardinia Life,” she said.

“The comprehensive review considered a range of factors including historical usage trends, previous financial performance and future operating costs, with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic also factored into the decision.”

But at Monday 19 July council meeting, the acting chief executive Peter Benazic suggested the impending closure might be delayed.

“We will endeavour to ensure that the facility remains open until council has an opportunity to consider the impacts of that decision,“ he said.

But Kylie, like many other parents who use the creche, said she won’t be able to afford other options.

“I have now lost that time. I cannot afford childcare and I don’t have family or friends available to help,” Kylie said.

“My children have loved every day that they are there and hearing the shock and dismay from other parents that are in the same boat has made me so angry that the Cardinia Shire Council can do this to us.

“People are saying it was a godsend.”

Gemma Robson also used the service weekly with her two children Oliver and Ivy.

She initially began using the service when she used the gym but has now been using it regularly for over three years.

“Mums say that was the only time they could use the gym,” Gemma said.

“Especially when you’ve just had a baby and it’s so important to try rebuild pelvic floor and your fitness.”

Gemma is also worried about finding an alternative solution.

“It’s hard to find good affordable childcare, especially with two kids,” she said.

“It’s great that you don’t have to stay, there are other creches at gyms where you have to stay but for me I have a lot of health appointments or I just go for a walk, I get coffee sometimes.

“It’s a chance to get done the tasks that you can’t really do with the kids.”

Kylie and Gemma say they’d be willing to pay by term and would support cancellation fees if that helped keep the crèche afloat.

“From what I’ve heard, they’re saying they’ve factored in low usage but they were closed every time gyms were closed due to Covid last year,” Kylie said.

“Last year prior to Covid restrictions, my daughter was on the waiting list as the creche was fully booked out with over 30 children every day.

“But no-one knows about it because no-one advertises it and then they say its low usage no-one needs it but it’s not the case, they just don’t know it’s there.”

Head to change.org/p/cardinia-shire-council-keep-cardinia-life-creche-open-vital-support-for-local-parents to sign the petition.