Council moves to position its childcare services for the future

Sunshine Coast Council has agreed to transmit its childcare services to a not-for-profit organisation with a proven track record of quality care on the Coast.

At its Ordinary Meeting yesterday, council voted to transmit the lease and operation of its three childcare centres and two outside-school-hours care services to established community-based provider, C&K, subject to final negotiations and approvals with C&K. The centres to be transmitted are:

• Caloundra Childcare Centre
• North Caloundra Childcare Centre
• Tewantin Childcare Centre
• Noosa Leisure Centre School Aged Care
• Bicentennial Community Centre School Aged Care, Sunshine Beach

C&K is Queensland’s largest and longest established provider of community-based early childhood education and care services, and is acknowledged within the industry for its first class care and professional training of staff.

Council’s Service Delivery Chair Paul Tatton said council is committed to keeping families informed of the change and to ensuring the job security for staff working its centres.

Cr Tatton said council will work with C&K to ensure that the current high quality of care for families continues through the transmission of business to C&K in April 2010.

“Council’s aim in making this change is to give families the best deal and C&K has a proven track record in delivering excellent services and reinvesting in the community and our children,” he said.

“Council is committed to keeping these sites as child care services, and C&K will provide an outstanding level of care for local families and continued employment for all of the current child care staff.”

Cr Tatton said council set up child care centres across the Sunshine Coast over 35 years ago because there was a gap in the market, but times had changed.

“A well-regarded, professional early education provider such as C&K that specialises in this field is better placed to provide ongoing professional development and in-house training than a local government entity,” he said.

Opened in 1907, C&K recently celebrated 100 years of practical experience, educational program development and offering not-for-profit child care services. C&K has been established on the Sunshine Coast for over 50 years.