Parents heartbroken by exclusion of son from kindergarten after epilepsy diagnosis

ABC NEWS (Australia)

A major national childcare provider has been accused of discrimination for excluding a young boy from attending, after he was diagnosed with epilepsy. Advocates say his situation is not unique and it is vital all children are given the same early learning opportunities.

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00:00Alfie is four years old and a little pocket rocket. But his world was recently turned

00:12upside down when he was diagnosed with epilepsy and asked to leave his long-term kinder.

00:18I actually didn't believe it. I had a really big cry.

00:22The ABC has chosen not to show Alfie's face or use his surname. His old early learning

00:29centre was run by Guardian, which looks after 10,000 children every day across 170 locations

00:36nationwide. But after conducting a risk assessment, it told Alfie's family it couldn't safely

00:43care for him anymore.

00:45Our neurologist has described Alfie's epilepsy as boring. It's absolute discrimination.

00:51There is just no way around it.

00:53A recent survey by the Peak Body for Children with Disability found one in five members

00:58had kids who had been refused enrolment in childcare. Almost a quarter said their child's

01:04attendance hours were restricted and nearly 30 per cent said their child was excluded

01:09from activities.

01:11Consistency with education is crucial if we're going to achieve long-term positive outcomes

01:17for children with disability.

01:19Cassandra says the instability has seen Alfie regress. She wants to prevent other children

01:25from experiencing what he did.

01:28It's no longer about Alfie. It's about any kid with a disability.

01:32In a statement, Guardian has told the ABC it does not discriminate and decisions to

01:37stop caring for any child are taken seriously. It says it has a duty to look after everyone

01:43in its centres, both children and staff.

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