Dolls are ready in their prams, toy cars sit on road maps, tables and chairs are set and rolling pins are out waiting to squish play dough – but at United Childrens’ new Delacombe child care centre there are no children to be seen.
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The building on Smythes Rd was completed in July but delays in the NBN rollout only saw the centre connected to the network about six weeks ago.
This meant they could not apply to the Department of Education and Training’s early childhood services for a licence to open.
Their application for accreditation has been lodged, but is now mired in red tape and waiting for their turn for an inspector to visit the centre, ensure it meets all regulations, and grant the licence.
Centre manager Beth Matheson said connection to the NBN had been expected when construction was complete more than four months ago.
“NBN has been the main contributer to the delay,” she said.
“We need it for the computer and phone lines, but it’s been back and forward between Telstra and the NBN until it was finally put on six weeks ago.”
Despite initially being hopeful of opening in early November, Ms Matheson could not say when it would open, or even if it would open this year.
“It’s very frustrating,” she said.
“The building was completed in July and in the last couple of months we have decked it out ready for kids to come and play.”
There are 30 children on the waiting list ready to start the day the centre opens, and other families with more pressing child care needs have taken up positions at the company’s Sebastopol child care centre and will transfer to the Delacombe facility when it opens.
The centre will eventually cater for 100 children aged from six weeks to five years, housed in six rooms named after native animals.
When full the centre will employ up to 25 staff. Ms Matheson said some staff for the new centre had been employed and were working at Sebastopol to get used to the company’s philosophy.
Ms Matheson said the company’s owners had built the centre to meet demand for child care in the rapidly growing south western edge of Ballarat.
It is less than a kilometre from the edge of the already developed Yorkdale estate and within metres of the Winterfield development which will contain more than 1000 homes, Pinnacle estate and others.
“This area is starting to take off with the new shops, estates and we have quite a few families waiting for our opening date,” she said.
“There have been lots of families who have been in for tours and there’s an obvious need for it in the area.”
