Families who rely on a childcare centre at Latrobe in Tasmania’s north west are scrambling to make new arrangements, following news it will close at the end of the year. The centre's closure will put extra pressure on a system already under strain.
00:00This trip to her local childcare centre is a routine for Lauren Varson and her two year
00:08old son Lumi. But last week they learned the St Patrick's childcare centre in La Trobe
00:14will close for good on Christmas Eve.
00:16I instantly just felt sick to my stomach. I was so anxious. I know a lot of my friends
00:22at the centre as well just were in tears.
00:25Having access to childcare allows Lauren and her husband Luke to run their business.
00:30We all just went into panic together and we had been calling around trying to get into places
00:36but there's one to two year waits minimum to get into anywhere.
00:41The first I heard of it was when a family actually called to be put on the wait list. It was a bit shocking.
00:47At a nearby centre in Shearwater, Director Bec Hodgett knows the pressure childcare providers are under all too well.
00:54I've just had two ladies come in here this morning expecting babies to go on the wait list for their children to come in 2027.
01:01A new 119 place centre is planned to open in La Trobe next year but it won't be ready until at least July.
01:08La Trobe Mayor Peter Freshney sits on the St Patrick's advisory board but wasn't involved in discussions surrounding the closure.
01:15He says the council is working through options including finding a new location.
01:19There's such an impact across so many areas in our community. It is crucial, absolutely crucial that we make every effort possible to find a solution.
01:29In a statement Catholic Education Tasmania says the centre will be repurposed into additional learning areas for students at the adjoining Catholic school.
01:37It says it made the announcement now so that staff and families have until the end of the year to prepare.
01:43We're all hard working families. The educators down there are incredible and I think we all deserve better.
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