Arabic version: إيدج تغلق مركز رعاية الأطفال في تشارنوود نهائياً

According to ABC News, Edge Early Learning will permanently close its Charnwood childcare centre in Canberra’s north rather than reopen after a three-month suspension ordered by the ACT regulator. The company told parents that trying to re-establish the service after the closure period would not be viable.

The Children’s Education and Care Assurance issued the suspension over supervision and safety risks and directed Edge to increase staffing above the minimum legislative ratio. The regulator said significant staff turnover and a high level of inexperienced employees were major risk factors, citing a pattern of children going missing and staff being unable to find them.

Sean Moysey of the regulator said the suspension was intended to give the centre time to retain staff and build an experienced team. He said Edge had taken over a service that had been well staffed, with employees who knew the children and had established supervision as a foundation for quality interactions.

In an email to families, Edge said it had spent the previous 12 months addressing the regulator’s concerns through leadership changes, increased training and additional senior support. It said it did not believe the suspension was a proportionate response, but concluded that a three-month closure would force families to find other care and make a later restart impractical.

The Charnwood closure follows the earlier shutdown of Edge’s Higgins centre, which received an overnight one-month suspension after authorities said it failed to respond to a serious medical incident involving a child. Edge subsequently confirmed Higgins would not reopen. The provider entered voluntary administration last week and said it was seeking to keep centres operating nationally; it continues to run a centre in Ngunnawal.