Murray Bridge ECEC institution to close after 21 years of serving the community

The Minya Porlar Creche has been an integral part of life for the regional South Australian community of Murray Bridge for 21 years. Sadly, the service will close its doors at the end of the 2022 school year after approved provider ac.care said ongoing operations are “unfeasible.” 

Five regular staff, additional casual team members, and the approximately 18 families who use the service were informed of the decision recently, with ac.care CEO Shane Maddocks saying the not-for-profit organisation had sought to secure the long term future of the creche for many years.

“We are immensely proud of the achievements of the creche over the past two decades of service to the Murray Bridge community, especially the dedicated staff and management who have provided local opportunities for families to access childcare, with a special focus on connection to Ngarrindjeri culture,” Mr Maddocks said.

“We’re working with each family to look at what their future needs are and how we can support them to access new placements.”

The decision to close, he continued, was partly due to new safety standards announced by ACECQA earlier this year in relation to indoor spaces, sleeping spaces, bathrooms and changing facilities.

To remain viable and compliant, the service would need to invest in a larger purpose-built facility in a new location, which would be “financially unsustainable and an investment ac.care is unable to make,” Mr Maddock’s continued. 

“I think our daily rate is around 80 odd dollars, to remain viable it would need to go up to nearly $100 a day, and we know that there are some centres in Murray Bridge who, because they’re larger, they are able to provide a lower daily rate to what we’re able to maintain,” he said. 

“I think being a small centre has meant we’ve had a close relationship with families, and we’ve got a number of staff who’ve worked with us for many years, some more than the 20 odd years that we’ve been open.”

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