Community-based service closes after 50 years – ‘the end of an era’

Lollipop Early Learning Centre will close its doors at the end of the year after nearly 50 years of supporting the local community, citing a number of reasons for the decision including financial viability, increased competition, and recent building works in the area immediately around the centre. 

The development of a new high-rise tower displaced the centre’s parking, which Jenny Kitchin, CEO of Lollipop operator Woden Community Service (WCS), said made it a challenge to retain enrolments. 

While parents have always found parking near the service a challenge because the car park is shared with multiple other businesses, the recent closure of the car park on the western side of Woden town centre due to demolition work was a source of increased inconvenience.

Speaking with local media, Ms Kitchin said it was “a very difficult decision” to close the centre, which has been operating at a financial loss for many years.

“We’ve continued to keep it open because we feel really committed to the parents and the children there,” she told Riotact. “It has always been difficult to keep the numbers up, particularly because of the physical access reasons.”

Ms Kitchin also believes that the “overabundance” of other ECEC services within the five kilometre radius of Lollipop has played a part in declining enrolment numbers. 

“There are no restrictions on the planning and location of childcare centres,” she said. “That’s an issue that a number of childcare providers have raised with the ACT Government over many years.”

She believes that WCS’ nearby Lyons Centre at the Lyons Early Childhood School will have enough vacancies to accommodate the approximately 60 children between six weeks and five years old who will be impacted by the closure. 

“We will make quite sure that we can actually accommodate every child and some parents might want to move earlier rather than later, so we can work with that,” she said.

Staff will be given “every opportunity” to transition to the Lyons service, or for redeployment elsewhere, she added. 

“I think for a lot of people it’s a sentimental and sad impact,” Ms Kitchin said. “It is very much the end of an era for our organisation and for this community.”

To access the original coverage of this story, please see here.