Childcare - Brisbane Inner Northside - Help!

[nic280]

Hello,

I could really use some help. I've just moved back to Brisbane and so don't know which chilcare centres are good and bad.

Currently, I'm living in Lutwyche and am interested in centres around there and also Nundah/Clayfiled way. (anywhere inner north really...)

My little one is just over 3 months, and so I'm getting nervous they will all be full when I need to go back to work.

So please, any recommendations would be appreciated. (so far I've just been told to stay away from ABC centres?)

Thanks
Nicole :)

[Melissa1983]

Hi nic280
Can i ask why you have been told to stay away from ABC centres?

[perrywinkle]

I have worked in an ABC centre as a manger, before I had DS and I would never send him to an ABC centre. They constantly think about money all the time and not the children. Everything is to a bare minimum and the staff have so much paper work to fill out rather than supervising the children. They always have young 15-16yr olds because they are cheap to pay.

There is alot more but I would be here for ever. If you can find a small private or community centre go for them as they treat their staff with respect rather than be a number on the pay roll

Kylie

[Melissa1983]

Hi
My girls go to a ABC centre and i find them excellent. Plus my mum works at a ABC centre, and yes there is alot of paperwork, but all the ladies in there are older. At the centre where the girls go now, there is a few young ones, but there is older ones too. I just find them wonderful.
But everyone has different opinons.

[2plus]

Hi
This is just my personal opinion but I would avoid Hutchisons at Kedron.
I don't know what the waiting lists are like but Tufnell CCC at Nundah is great and possibly try Building Blocks at Wavell Heights too.
Hope this helps.

[petster]

I have been on the waiting lists (for 3 days a week) at 5 childcare centres on the Northside since I was 6 months pregnant - my daughter is now 5 months old. So far I have received only 1 offer of 3 days a week, which I turned down because I/we weren't ready... (And they only gave me 2 weeks notice - probably quite normal, but a shock none the less!) Getting your bub into the "Baby" group is hard, as most of them only have spaces for 8 bubs...

I have also not heard great things about the ABC centres... Can't remember anything specific... Building Blocks at Wavell Heights is VERY popular, and very hard to get into, because it has such a great reputation...

You could also try Family Daycare - there is a base at Wavell heights - here is the link www.whfdc.org.au/index.htm. Good luck with finding somewhere...

Cheers!

[Elfin]

Windsor Neighbourhood Child care centre has a good reputation.

[Supermum]

I can't help you I'm afraid as all of the ones I know are further north than you want. - I can tell you that Petster's right, Building Blocks (Montessori centre) at Wavell Heights has a waiting list of about 235 at last count, my little ones go there.

You know what though - if you pick up your cute bub and go knocking on doors you can get lucky. Right place, right time.

Good luck!

[xkwzit]

Hi
I've also been told that ABC centres are not good - the rumour said that school teachers can tell which kids went to an ABC centre by their "skills" (at what I don't know).

Having said that our centre was taken over by ABC and I am not really worried (yet :o ). DD1 is reading at less than four, so they have not stunted her thirst for reading (and most of the carers are really lovely). There has been a high rate of turn over recently, but I guess that is expected with the change of management and style (and the fact that in general child care workers are not highly paid).

I think the best way is to decide what basic things you need. The gov has a childcare link on their website (www.qld.gov.au) that gives you info on all the centres local to you. You can then decide what is important. Things that were important to me were:

Nursery care (only a very few centres will take babies (< 15 months) these days)
Food (do you have to pack a lunch?)
How close are they to your normal route home, would you like DH to pick them up every once in a while?)
Opening hours (some centres only run from 8 - 4:30, not good for most working parents)
Weeks open per year (some centres are closed for up to four weeks at Christmas time, does this suit you?)

You can get all the info except for food and fees from the gov website. An educational program is not that important to me, more important is that the children are happy and well looked after and no-one gets hit or bullied (maybe my standards are low :confused: ). We can always read and count with our kids once they are at home (and I only work 3 days/week).

You'll probably find that there are only 4 or 5 centres that suit you, go and visit and then put your name down at any that you are OK with. Do that ASAP, because waiting lists are LOONG. I put DD2 down for a place 3 months before she was born and was only offered a spot when she was almost 1 year old. Some centres are quite up front about the fact that if you call more often, you are more likely to get a spot, as they do not adhere strictly to the waiting lists. Maybe frequent calls = desperation :D .

best of luck

[justtwogirls22]

i have worked for ABC too & would never work there again let alone put my child in one of their centres - they only care about the money not the well being of the child - i think they have also taken over peppercorn centres - i have also worked in a privately owned centre & that was much better & a place that i would feel comfortable leaving my child at (that centre is on the sunshine coast though)
i guess i am lucky as when the time comes that im ready to go back to work im hoping to do family based day care so my baby will always be with me :)

[~Chick79~]

I guess with ABC is all going to vary at each place... ABC have now taken over all the child care centres on Defence Bases and so far they have received glowing reports! And as Mummyof2 said, our mum works in ABC centre in Townsville and all the carers (bar 2) are older ladies that are mum's themselves. My mum is in charge of the pre school room and I know she puts in alot of effort with her programming so the kids can get benefit from them...

Like everywhere there is always going to be a few centres that have bad reps... my advice would be to go and visit and do your research! I have come across some shockers where i live... ABC was the only centre that my DH would even consider sending our son to for the 2 days I have to work...