I am extremely disappointed with the recent care and communication we have received regarding our son. We made several requests for his nap schedule to be adjusted due to changes in his sleep needs at home. These requests were repeatedly ignored after several months, with staff insisting they knew what was in his best interest despite us being his parents and knowing his routine best.
We were told he arrives at kindy “so tired because we don't let him sleep", which is simply not true. On days he is made to nap, he goes to bed much later, wakes throughout the night, and his overall sleep quality suffers. Rather than working with us to support a more consistent home routine, we felt dismissed and that our parenting choices were not respected. We were not asking for no nap entirely as we know they need to offer rest time but we wanted nap time limited and quiet activities supplied in this time.
To make matters worse, shortly after voicing our concerns, the centre sent out a weekly newsletter to all families emphasising how important sleep is for children, which felt like a direct response to our private discussions. What made this even more inappropriate and upsetting was that they used a photo of our son headlining the article. It felt like a clear and deliberate dig at our family, and left us feeling singled out and disrespected.
Due to all of this, we made the decision to withdraw our son from the centre. Now, we are being told there is an outstanding bill and that we will not receive our bond back until it is paid. After checking our Centrelink app and records, it’s clear the centre has incorrectly lodged payments. We have proof that we are not in arrears, we are owed money. Yet they are withholding our bond due to their own administrative error.
On top of all this, the centre appears to be constantly understaffed. There is rarely a consistent chef, and educators are often pulled into kitchen duties. Most afternoons when I collect my son, his drink bottle is either empty or left out of reach, something that should never be overlooked.
Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this centre to other families. Our experience has been disappointing, disheartening, astressful and above all, it did not prioritise the wellbeing of our child