Community Kids Pakenham Early Education Centre

Disgraceful. Over worked staff who are clearly struggling, severely lacking resources and supervision to safely run a centre. Problems after problems, bullying, neglect, secrecy, incidents, no structure, no accountability, the list goes on… Save yourself the trouble and ignore these fraudulent “positive” reviews made by staff members. I wouldn’t even send my dog my dog here.

Don’t let the reviews fool you, most of them are written by current or previous employees. I wouldn’t recommend this daycare to anyone based on my experience. I had two children attend here, one from the age of 1, all the way up until school age. My eldest child began to experience behavioral issues towards the end of their time here, which we eventually had to address by pulling them out early before school. These issues stemmed from the daycare being severely understaffed, meaning the behavior of many children went unnoticed and unaddressed. The outdoor play area is chaotic, with little to no supervision, and kids of all ages are thrown together in a huge space without proper oversight. I want to stress that this is not the fault of the educators—they are fantastic, hardworking, and clearly passionate about their jobs. Unfortunately, the lack of support and overwhelming demands placed on them is a disservice to both the staff and the children they care for. My youngest child was recently pulled out after experiencing bullying and emotional distress. They were physically bullied (bitten, punched, scratched, and hit with toys), yet the daycare never took the time to properly investigate the reasons behind my child’s anger or behavioral issues. Instead, I was met with phone calls implying that my child was misbehaving, all while they came home with injuries. The daycare’s response was to suggest we seek external help for my child’s behavior, completely ignoring the ongoing bullying from other children. Additionally, there was an instance where my youngest came home with a nappy that hadn’t been changed all day, causing severe rashes due to the prolonged exposure. The daycare lied about changing the nappy, but the records didn’t reflect any change. This center is getting progressively worse. I’ve seen a decline in the quality of care, and I am genuinely concerned for other children attending this daycare. If you're a parent looking for a place where your child’s safety, well-being, and development are a priority, I would strongly recommend looking elsewhere. I truly hope the management takes these issues seriously and works to improve the quality of care. It’s heartbreaking to see a daycare that could have been great fall short due to lack of resources and attention to the needs of the children. Parents deserve transparency and accountability, and sadly, this daycare has not provided that.

I never thought I’d be writing a review like this, but after the stress and heartbreak my family has gone through, I feel compelled to share. My children have been attending this daycare for years, and it used to be wonderful, but the issues we've faced in the past year have been nothing short of upsetting. The management has changed repeatedly, and the overall quality of care has seriously declined. My daughter, who has been there since she was one, started school this year, and I am so relieved. Last year, my daughter was involved in an incident where another child accidentally touched her private area during play. She used the correct terminology to explain what had happened, as I have always taught her. Despite this being a harmless accident, the new management immediately contacted child protection, without even speaking to the other educators or attempting to understand the context. This caused me significant distress, and I had to arrange a meeting to discuss why the situation was not handled differently. After speaking with child protection, the case was closed immediately, as there were no concerns regarding my children’s well-being Then, the issues continued with my son. He was left in a soiled nappy for 7 hours. As a healthcare worker, I know how concerning this is. When I raised it with the centre, they lied, claiming they changed him more than once but hadn’t uploaded the updates. Around the same time, my son came home and told me that a piece of bark had been stuck in his bottom by another child. He reported it, but the staff didn’t believe him. I even found the bark myself. The centre is severely understaffed. Some staff members, like Lekan, Kalpani, and Gim, genuinely tried their best to care for my children, and I truly appreciate their efforts. However, they are clearly stretched too thin, and the lack of adequate supervision has left my kids vulnerable. There have been countless incidents of bullying and physical harm that were never addressed properly. My son now cries and refuses to go to daycare, and I’ve had to take several days off work to keep him home. He’s been bitten multiple times, has visible teeth marks, hit on the head, and tripped. Thankfully, a spot opened up at a different centre, and i jumped on it immediately. I am relieved to finally have my children in a safer, more supportive environment. The lack of supervision is alarming, and I’m heartbroken by how things have changed. If you’re considering sending your child here, I would strongly recommend looking elsewhere. The safety and well-being of your child should always be the priority, and unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case here.

Kinder room has been a let down. Too many issues. Its run more as childcare than kinder, often joining with the 3yo room as well, not just for meals and family grouping. Been there nearly 3 years. The walls are lined with info parents are meant to source like the month plan- nothing clear. Never had child-specific targets just general concepts. Play-based centre uses more free time play than having structure with adult led play-based. They do 1 "mat time" and its optional. They have hat holes but kids aren't taught routine of using them to ready them for prep. Bag area is always a mess with clothes and bags everywhere. Again no routine and care of yours and others belongings. The storage area is a huge OHS concern (resources and "stuff" piled high and overflowing). Reflection of the lack of care in room. Hallway often lined with boxes and trolleys, creating fire hazard for narrow escape routes. It never used to be so cluttered. Belongings thrown over fence regularly and not collected. It's a 5min task every couple days for someone to do. Same as picking up litter in carpark that's been there for weeks that all staff just walk past and ignore. External looks are important too. School readiness lunchbox program went for 1 week so not really getting child ready. Especially if child only attends a couple of days. Used to do local walks and excursions in previous years but not anymore. Incursions are also minimal. Lots of money went into ugrading the centre looks but the programs stayed the same from what parents see. They have a garden which was used for maybe 3 weeks in 2024, kids planted seeds only to have them die and not try again as part of learning and caring for things. Clearly not looked after regularly with it overgrown with weeds taller than the kids. Don't even have a worm farm or compost bins for all the food scraps. No recycling either- all 1 bin. Holiday programs don't run as suggested which is disappointing. Eg disco day but no disco. Messy play but no mess. Younger rooms seem to get more into things and have clearer days. Head injury not reported then when i took a photo of the cut and posted it, I was made out to be lying because staff member asked child 3 days later what happened and he made up a story so he didn't get in trouble- doesnt want a time out or to be in black book from educator. Child can still recall exactly what happened. Newsletter monthly has images from other G8 centres instead of only pakenham centre and half is just G8 content rather than centre, child and program updates. Minimal individual stories posted, maybe once a month. If other centres can do it, there's no excuse. Parents like to see what their child does as well as what everyone does. Still waiting for show and tell photos (could emailed to me) and graduation photos. Xmas party was ok at Crocs but no Santa visit, families had to buy food and no 'gift' unlike previous years where Santa came and gave a gift, food supplied and had Xmas activites ( like other centres do, including when at crocs). We got a xmas bag after Xmas and it was a mix of other kids work which my son identified who's it was. Again teacher said no that's his work even with another child's name clearly on it. Lots of staff changes which then leads to staff moved from room to room to accommodate. 3 kinder and junior has great staff. No biscuits and vegies like carrot, cucumber, tomatoes for late arvo as suggested in some meal plans- just biscuits. Fruit selection in mornings is good. Breakfast done by 810am and is toast that's been sitting for a while and no spreads, just butter. 1/2 slice = 1 serve. Dietry requirements serving not recorded on app like it should be, just same as everyone even though I was told it will "from now on" months ago. Up side is the cook makes cakes or cookies for parents most mornings which is great that this returned as I can taste what sort of things my child is being fed. Coffee machine available but has posters over it so not quick anymore as you cant see if its on or not. Long review but backing my 2 stars.