Guardian Childcare & Education Laurimar

Our son started at this centre in 2024, and it was his very first experience of childcare. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a very difficult and disappointing experience for our family.<br><br>One of the biggest issues for us was communication. We found the educator assigned to our son very reluctant to have even a brief conversation with us about how he was settling in or how he was doing. At other centres, we had always been able to have a quick chat with the educator at drop-off or pick-up. Here, we were told that if we wanted general feedback about our son’s wellbeing, we needed to book an appointment.<br><br>We raised our concerns with the Regional Manager, and the centre subsequently arranged a meeting with us. We went into that meeting hoping to have an open and constructive conversation. Unfortunately, we felt that the centre, including the Centre Manager, was very defensive. At no point did we feel that they acknowledged our concerns or considered whether they could have handled things differently.<br><br>They offered to waive the notice-period fee if we wanted to leave the centre. However, we hadn’t applied to any other childcare centres at that stage, so leaving immediately wasn’t really an option for us.<br><br>After this, things became even more difficult. Our son was sent home on numerous occasions because of a cough or runny nose. We completely understand that childcare centres need to have policies around illness and we respect that. However, we were concerned because we had taken him to our GP, who had cleared him to attend childcare, yet the centre continued to send him home.<br><br>At one point, we were even told that perhaps we hadn’t given the GP the complete picture of our son’s health. To make sure there wasn’t any misunderstanding, we sought another medical opinion and also took him to the Austin Hospital. The doctors consistently reassured us that he was fine. Despite this, the issue continued.<br><br>As parents, it became incredibly stressful and upsetting. We eventually reached the point where we felt that the best thing we could do was move our son to another centre.<br><br>Looking back, that decision was absolutely the right one.<br><br>He has now been at his new centre for more than two years, and the difference is honestly night and day. The care, communication and relationship between the educators and our family have been fantastic. Most importantly, our son has flourished. He is happy, confident and thriving.<br><br>We appreciate that every centre has its own policies and that our experience may not be the same as that of other families. This review is simply an honest account of what our family experienced in 2024.<br><br>Childcare is incredibly important to parents because we are entrusting someone else with the most important person in our lives. For us, the communication, flexibility and overall approach at this centre did not give us the confidence or peace of mind we were looking for.<br><br>Based on our experience in 2024, we would not recommend this Guardian centre.