May 08, 2006
Kids Krisis
Just when everything was going so well.
Just as in Amsterdam we really lucked out with Jacob's creche here. When child care is supposedly in crisis with people on waiting lists for years we walked into the first place we saw and discovered not only did we love it but that Jacob could start immediately. It is a privately-owned creche with a very real commitment to the children. They not only meet the minimum standards for qualified caregivers but go well beyond them in that every staff member is qualified or in the process of gaining qualifications. Food is bought daily and cooked on the premises and nothing is kept or re-used the following day. Children's farms, music and dance teachers, theatre groups, gym groups are all regular visitors. The staff have been wonderful and the comments they make each morning and evening show that they know Jacob well and must have spent a certain amount of time with him one-on-one each day. Most importantly, Jacob is as happy as Larry going there.
So, it was with some disapointment that we heard today that the owners are retiring and have sold the creche to Kids Campus, one of the big chain childcare providers about whom there is so much controversy at the moment. What's worse is a glance at their web site which reveals that they are the object of a friendly take-over bid by ABC Learning Centres, the biggest provider in Australia and infamous for their CEO's recent attempts to avoid responsibility for a breach of care with one of their toddlers. That a company with such enormous profits is determined to challenge the most basic precepts of the laws protecting children in care is very scary and frankly alarms me about the culture governing the environment in which Jacob would be spending his days.
I was worrying about having to move Jacob from the creche when we bought a house which will most probably be in another area. Now I'll just be glad too!
What says the most to me is that if I look at the websites of both these companies there is very little information about children and looking after them. They are very much corporate websites of profit-making concerns. Somehow the idea of a company that makes a AUS$38 million profit and then tries to shift the blame for breach of care to some of the lowest paid employees in the country, looking after my son is NOT confidence inspiring. If they will do this to their own employees what would they not do to my son? And why would anyone with any hope of a job elsewhere want to work for them?
Damn, damn,damn, damn,damn!
Posted by Faith