Working together for Varsity children

(By Kirstin Kreyscher, Bond University Journalism student)

The ABC childcare facility in Varsity Lakes changed to a non-profit organisation in May and is experiencing an increase in parental trust and overall occupancy.

Two years ago ABC Learning Centres was taken over by the not-for-profit organisation GoodStart.

The ABC Learning Centres fell into receivership in 2008 after facing mounting financial problems.

Varsity centre director Daniel Murphy said four non-profit organisations - Mission Australia, the Brotherhood of St Laurence, the Benevolent Society and Social Ventures Australia - banded together to buy out the company taking the ABC Learning Centres into the not-for-profit family of GoodStart.

“It’s not about making money now - it’s about making sure that we can provide the best possible service,” Mr Murphy said.

“Around 700 centres are running as not-for-profit centres,” he said.

“It’s all going back towards the children, the centres and different community groups around Australia.”

Area manager Hayley Grady said the ABC Learning centres will be here for the long run, now that they have been taken over by the GoodStart team.

“Any leftover surplus money goes into struggling centres that may need renovations or new toys,” Mrs Grady said.

“Instead of the money going back into somebody’s hip pocket, it’s now going directly back into the centres ... [even] putting the money back into the community, into social ventures,” she said.

“We are in the process of getting that information out to all families on a local level as well as a national level.”

So far, families and local businesses accept the new company structure knowing that staff is there working for the children and nothing else.