Parents left in limbo as beloved Sydney child care shuts on less than an hour’s notice
About 300 families are searching for new childcare placements after two beloved Sydney centres announced their sudden, permanent closure less than an hour before shutting their doors on Wednesday.
Families at Orchard Early Learning Centre in Kirrawee and West Pennant Hills received an email about at 5.15pm notifying them that the services would close permanently at 6pm.
Families at Orchard Early Learning Centre in Kirrawee received an email around 5pm notifying them that the service would close permanently at 6pm that same evening. 9News
Staff members were delivered the same news just minutes earlier, learning they were out of a job right before the message was sent to parents.
The Sydney centres were in the process of being sold, but when the deal fell through at the last minute, receivers made the call to cease operation.
“In light of the failed sale and the absence of funding required to continue operating the centres, we have carefully considered all available alternatives,” the statement read.
“Regrettably, we have determined that there is no viable option other than to cease trading.”
Many parents learned the news of the closure because of a sign outside the day care. Supplied
A father of a two-year-old enrolled at the Kirrawee centre told nine.com.au that parents and educators have since turned to a WhatsApp group chat to help each other navigate the fallout.
“It’s obviously not a lot of opportunity to find a new space, but also just to say goodbye,” he said.
“We’ve been sharing information on what kindies are doing tours and might have availability, but also trying to look for places where they might be looking for staff for the amazing carers.”
He described the centre as an integral part of his son's development, noting that dedicated educators had helped the toddler learn to crawl and walk.
“Some of the kids are going there five days a week, and they might see it as a home away from home,” he said.
“That means they miss out on an essential preschool experience, like a graduation going into school.”
Another parent, whose son is in the same class, praised the Kirrawee facility’s caring, diverse team and thoughtfully designed two-level layout, which provided ample natural light without exposing children to harsh, direct sunlight.
“I don’t think one person saw it coming,” he said.
However, he expressed frustration over the timing of the notice, which arrived after standard business hours when many parents were commuting or spending time with family rather than monitoring their inboxes.
In fact, many only discovered the news through social media.
“If we didn’t go on Facebook, we would have rocked up at 7am, and we would not have both preemptively taken the day off work, so we would have been stuck even worse,” he said.
The closure of the beloved day care came as a shock to parents and educators alike. 9News
He said his family now faces the daunting task of securing alternative care on such short notice, leaving them with an agonising choice about where to send their young son.
“We’re facing the decision of whether to take the days here because it seemed like a good centre, and substitute for other days with another centre, or go to a centre that’s maybe not ticking all the boxes,” he said.
“We really loved Orchard.”
The sudden closures follow a troubling nationwide trend of early learning providers collapsing.
In August, major provider Edge Early Learning went into voluntary administration, while Melbourne’s Avondale Heights Childcare and Early Learning Centre appointed liquidators and closed immediately after failing to find a buyer, leaving dozens of families stranded.
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