By Bonny Burrows
Cardinia Shire’s tender process for the management of its early years’ services sparked strong backlash from the local childcare community who argued they had not been consulted on the matter.
The Gazette was inundated with hundreds of calls, emails and messages of anger after the shire announced on 3 July that it had awarded Western Australian-based childcare provider One Tree and Glen Waverly organisation Bestchance with five-year licenses to operate the shire’s childcare centres over local company Kinders Together.
The council later scrapped its contract with the One Tree following community outcry after it was revealed the organisation was in 2016 subject to disciplinary action for failure to care for its children, and instead awarded all contracts sans one to Bestchance.
But the decision wasn’t enough for members of a Keep Our Kinders Together community movement, who argued all jobs should remain with Garfield-based Kinders Together and called for the “flawed” expressions of interest process to be restarted to ensure proper community consultation.
The campaigners believed there was no reason to award the contracts to another organisation, and said local jobs should be the first priority of council.
Despite this, the council went ahead and with its process, ignoring the calls of the voices of 584 signatories to a petition.
Bestchance and Early Years Management Services will operate the shire’s childcare centres from 2018.
