Childcare centres relearn ABCs

© iStockphoto/Chad McDermott

BUNDABERG parents have plenty of reasons to smile, with five of the former ABC Learning Childcare Centres reopened as day care facilities.

Three childcare centres that closed down prior to ABC Learning Childcare Centre's collapse in November last year have been given a new life.

One centre, in Avoca, has been reopened as Avoca Kids, while the Queen Street and Fitzgerald Street facilities are set to reopen as privately owned childcare centres.

The Bargara and Bundaberg East centres, whose futures were uncertain after the collapse, have since been operating under childcare conglomerate LEAD Childcare.

Avoca Kids, on Avoca Road, has been bought by private owners and has been run by Brisbane-based Total Childcare Solutions for the past three months.

Total Childcare Solutions director John Wall said since opening, the centre had been going from strength to strength.

“It is well above what we had forecast and has continued to grow in the three months since it opened,” Mr Wall said.

The revamp of the day care facility means only two previous ABC Learning Childcare Centres are left to reopen.

Bundaberg businessman John Gorza has bought the North Bundaberg centre, in Queen Street, and is currently preparing the building to open.

“All the rubbish and trees have been removed from the back and hopefully we will start landscaping this week and resurfacing the bitumen in the car park,” he said.

Mr Gorza hinted the business would be very similar to his existing childcare centre, Bonney Tots, in Fairymead Road, but was unable to confirm the new name.

Mr Gorza said the centre would reopen once renovations were complete and he would be able to give an approximate date soon.

The final ABC Centre left to reopen, in Fitzgerald Street, has been bought by Linda Viss, who owned and operated a childcare centre in Roma, western Queensland, for about 18 months.

Ms Viss said the centre would be known as Edenbrook Early Learning Centre and was currently undergoing renovations.

She said she hoped to open later this year or early 2010.

“It has been a really good experience renovating and getting to know the building,” she said.

Ms Viss erected a sign outside the centre calling for enrolments last Friday and will be advertising for staff soon.