Two Catholic early learning centres in suburban Hobart will shut their doors in July, leaving families with young children scrambling to find alternative care.
The Ludo John Paul II centre in Rokeby and St Paul’s centre in Bridgewater will cease operations on July 10, Catholic Education Tasmania announced in a letter to families last Friday.
Families were offered no direct replacement for the childcare service, instead being pointed towards an expanded “Set Up for Success” program that requires parents to stay with their children.
“It was shocking and upsetting,” one parent who didn’t want to be named told Pulse.
“For families that were beginning the year with new enrolments, they’ve now taken their children from other services that are really difficult to get into.”
The parent said the timing was particularly poor as many families had already moved children from other centres.
The Ludo program was delivered through a partnership between Catholic Education Tasmania and CatholicCare Tasmania, supporting up to 20 children daily at each location.
“We recognise the trust families place in us and understand that this is a significant change,” Catholic Education Tasmania’s Executive Manager for Early Learning and Care Daniel Lane said in the letter.
The replacement Set Up for Success program offers sessions where parents attend with their children for an hour and a half, focusing on school readiness rather than childcare.
“It doesn’t do what Ludo was put out there to do,” the parent said. “You can’t leave them there.”
The parent said the lack of transparency and absence of alternative childcare options was their biggest concerns.
