Parents given 12 hours' notice of Melbourne daycare closure

In short: A childcare centre in Melbourne's north-west has been liquidated, with families only being told at 6:40pm last night the centre would not reopen. Parents at Avondale Heights Child Care and Early Learning Centre are scrambling to find alternative child care arrangements. The liquidator apologised for the "stress and inconvenience" of the closure. Parents at a childcare centre in Melbourne's north-west are scrambling to make alternative arrangements for their children after being told late yesterday the centre had been liquidated. The liquidator, SSB Advisory, sent a text message to parents at 6:40pm last night advising them that the Avondale Heights Child Care and Early Learning Centre would close immediately. Some parents have complained the late notice of the closure left them few options for alternative child care, given the message was sent outside business hours. The centre has also been locked up with belongings of children and families still inside. In a circular sent to families on Tuesday night, the liquidator said the proposed sale of the centre had fallen through after the intended buyer was unable to settle the contract. "The directors have been personally funding the operation of the business for an extended period and can no longer continue to personally fund the operation of the business," the liquidator said. "On behalf of the company, I sincerely apologise for the distress and inconvenience caused by having to arrange alternative childcare arrangements at such short notice." Kelli, a parent from the daycare, said she was taken completely by surprise by the closure. "To be honest, it sent a panic through the community of the parents who have children at the centre," she said. "I had to immediately notify my own employer to basically say: 'I'm sorry, I'm unable to work and can't confirm when I can next come into work'." 'Carpet ripped from under their feet' Kelli is trying to find out how she can retrieve her child's property from the centre and also cancel direct debit payments due to come out today. "We absolutely would have appreciated a heads up. We had no indication that anything was untoward," she said. Kelli praised staff at the centre and said she believed they were also unaware of the impending closure when she picked up her child yesterday. "We didn't suspect anything at daycare pick-up," she said. "All of the staff were just their normal, happy selves so there was no indication." She brought her child to the centre on Wednesday morning to "say goodbye" before trying to find a new centre for him to attend. "If this ever happened in a school setting or a designated kindergarten setting, where one evening at 6:40pm you're sending text messages to close a school, there would be an outrage," she said. "There are children aged between zero and five-years-old all of a sudden have had the carpet ripped from under their feet." Calls to the centre were going unanswered on Wednesday morning. The liquidator SSB Advisory has been contacted for comment. [Image text:] Welcome ARE& C EARLY LEARNING CENTR OPEN52WEEKS AYEAR 93170688