Minya Porlar Creche will close after 21 years
The early childhood centre – the only one in Murray Bridge exclusively for Aboriginal and vulnerable families – will shut at the end of 2022, AC Care has announced.
A unique Murray Bridge child care service will close at the end of the year.
The Minya Porlar Creche has provided care to Aboriginal and vulnerable children since 2001, with a focus on Ngarrindjeri culture.
Staff and families celebrated its 21st birthday only a few months ago.
But its Gail Crescent premises were no longer fit for purpose, said Shane Maddocks, CEO of creche operator AC Care.
Under the latest industry standards, the creche didn’t have enough indoor spaces, sleeping areas, bathrooms or changing facilities.
“To remain viable, we would need to invest in modifying a new, much larger property or purpose-build a facility in a new location, which would be financially unsustainable and an investment AC Care is unable to make,” Mr Maddocks said.
The creche had also had trouble recruiting qualified staff, he said, and the emergence of other child care centres in Murray Bridge had reduced the need for Minya Porlar to keep going.
The 18 or so families who use the creche, and the five full-time or part-time staff who work there, were told about AC Care’s decision last week.
Families will have until the end of the school year to find alternative care arrangements.
- Find a child care service: www.startingblocks.gov.au/find-child-care.
You can help keep local stories like this one free for everyone to read. Subscribe to Murray Bridge News today and support your independent, locally owned news service, plus get access to exclusive stories you won’t find anywhere else, from just $5 a month.
