NSW regulator permanently closes Sydney childcare service after long-running safety and compliance concerns

A Sydney long day care service has been permanently shut down following what has been reported as more than a decade of breaches of national safety standards, in a move being described as the first permanent closure under strengthened NSW enforcement settings.

The service, Fun2Learn Early Learning Centre in Rosehill, is operated by approved provider JLBE Pty Ltd, which has held the service approval since 12 October 2012.

The service has been permanently closed, with reporting pointing to a history of serious safety-related non-compliance spanning more than a decade.

Public registers show the service was rated Working Towards NQS in December 2020 and again in August 2024.

A Working Towards rating can have many causes and, on its own, does not automatically indicate immediate risk. But repeated Working Towards outcomes across multiple cycles should trigger sharper internal governance questions for any provider and leadership team, including:

• What are the recurring themes identified through assessment and monitoring?
• Are improvements embedded or do issues re-emerge under pressure?
• How are risks (exits, hazardous substances, allergy management, supervision) checked daily?
• How do leaders verify compliance is happening, not just documented?
• What reporting, escalation and accountability systems exist at provider level?

For the broader community, this case also reinforces why quality improvement needs to be viewed as a year-round operating discipline, not an activity that peaks around visits.

The closure led to a sustained history of breaches, including alleged examples such as padlocked emergency exit doors, gaps in allergy management planning, and unlabelled chemicals accessible to children.

While details of individual compliance matters can be subject to process and publication timeframes, the seriousness of the alleged issues has put a spotlight back on the non-negotiables in early childhood education and care: safe environments, effective supervision, emergency readiness, and robust health risk management.

Fun2Learn’s publicly available service philosophy speaks to a commitment many services will recognise: respect for Country and community, play-based learning guided by the EYLF and NQS, safe and secure environments, healthy eating and inclusion, and the importance of educator relationships and leadership consistency.

Fun2Learn’s publicly available service philosophy presents a clear commitment to children’s wellbeing and safe, intentional practice, including play-based learning guided by the EYLF and NQS, safe and secure environments, healthy eating, inclusion, strong educator relationships and consistency of staffing, and collaborative leadership focused on continuous professional growth. However, the closure and the issues reported point to an apparent gap between stated intent and the day-to-day systems and practices required to keep children safe and meet regulatory expectations.

This is not an abstract issue for the sector. A philosophy statement is a valuable anchor, but it is not a control. Daily safety and quality depend on what happens in practice: clear expectations, consistent supervision, routine checks, safe storage, accurate documentation, staff capability, leadership oversight, and a governance rhythm that identifies patterns early and responds decisively.

Permanent closures are rare and that rarity is exactly why they matter. They mark the point at which a regulator has determined a service should no longer operate, based on risk, history and capacity to comply.

The practical takeaway for providers is immediate and clear: the everyday fundamentals must be auditable, consistent and non-negotiable, especially during the hardest weeks when staffing pressure, fatigue and competing priorities are highest.

For NSW, the case will add to ongoing discussion about transparency and timeliness of information for families. As enforcement and publication mechanisms continue to evolve, the sector will be watching for how clearly regulators communicate not just that action has been taken, but why and what providers should learn from it.