Parents and children of Bathurst South Public School were left in limbo earlier this year after Big Childcare withdrew their services with less than a week’s notice before term two began.
Now, Aspire Out of School Hour Care has been awarded the tender to step into Big Childcare’s shoes and return the service of Before and After school care to schools in the Bathurst region.
Member for Bathurst Paul Toole said he was pleased with the outcome and swift turnaround.
“The decision by Big Childcare caused much stress and anxiety for parents who were left scrambling to find alternative arrangements for their children,” Mr Toole said.
“I am pleased to that the Minister for Education responded to my request in dealing with this matter sooner, rather than later on behalf of the community.
“The approval process for Aspire was fast-tracked so that a service was reinstated as quickly as possible for the community of South Bathurst.”
Bathurst South Public School Principal Greg Cross was instrumental in creating an interim service so that parents were not affected by change in a childcare provider. Whilst a new provider was being found, a teacher and teacher’s aid were employed by the school to run a breakfast and homework club so that extra care was available to children who needed it.
“Parents have jobs that don’t always fit into school hours so we knew we needed to come up with a solution that would relieve pressure from families who rely on Before and After school care,” Mr Cross said.
“We are really pleased to have Aspire on board and are looking forward to getting back to business as usual.”
Aspire began operations this week with new Programs Coordinator Matt Bourke managing the out of school hours care.
The service is open from 7:00am to 8:45am in the morning and after school till 6pm. Children receive assistance with their homework, fed afternoon tea and have a range of activities to participate in from arts to sport and board games.