Guardian Childcare & Education Mt Barker Bollen Road

WARNING TO PARENTS — SAFETY & DUTY OF CARE CONCERNS If I could give zero stars, I would. We have withdrawn our baby from this centre due to serious safety concerns and ongoing failures in basic duty of care. My family is extremely easy-going. We understand that early childhood settings can be busy and mistakes happen. I would first like to acknowledge that two staff members (Kel and Jess) — genuinely tried their best for our son and the support you provided in the room was great. The issue is with systemic failures, ongoing negligence, and the centre’s overall lack of accountability. Across our enrolment, we experienced the following issues to name a few: • Severe invoicing errors for months on end that caused financial hardship, even after multiple escalations to management and head office. • Soiled nappies at pickup resulting in a rash and marks, then dismissed as 'We change nappies as per our policies' etc. this was categorically NOT DONE. which made me question accountability. • Lack of daily updates on Storypark at one point due to “staff absences,” leaving us unsure about feeding, sleep and activities. • Wrong nappies (huggies) used repeatedly despite providing the correct brand in baby's bag and medical sensitivities. • Our baby’s EBM bottle was made incorrectly with too much prescribed thickener, making it undrinkable. Staff claimed there was “no scoop,” but when shown, admitted it was present 'ah, its small'. This level of carelessness is inappropriate for infants, particularly those with medical feeding needs. • On one occasion at pickup, staff stated our baby seemed “lethargic". It was later established he had NOT been fed the dinner we provided! and specifically requested (and staff agreed at drop off). Our baby was absolutely STARVING and thirsty. Instead of acknowledging this failure, the centre reported US to DCP. DCP later informed us, the concern related to the centre’s actions, not ours. No apology was given, just 'we will make a communication book going forward'. • The final and what could've been LIFE THREATENING incident caused us to immediately withdraw our baby. During pickup, I found my baby seated outdoors unsupervised, chewing on 4–5 LARGE bark chips with his dummy in. My concern is that had I not arrived at that exact moment, this could have been a choking emergency with life-threatening consequences (i saw my baby's eye watering) Shockingly, when raised immediately and showing staff the physical size and example of the wet chip, the initial response was dismissive: “We will blower-vac the outdoor areas tonight; bark sometimes gets walked in when older children share the space.” My baby was initially shocked and crying due to my emergency response of getting the items out of there mouth. There was no apology and no acknowledgement of the severity. Management informed us after 'investigating' the educator “did not see it occur.” 'that they will speak to staff' and when i raised that this in fact did happen, I was met with the idea of 'well we didnt see it happen...so...it didnt'. This is, in itself, alarming — NO educator saw this happening, they were not supervising adequately. Either that, or they're lying to management - both don't sit well with us. This was not a minor near-miss. It was an avoidable safety failure that could have resulted in a medical emergency or worse. Childcare should not require parents to hope their baby is alive and unharmed at pickup. Basic feeding, nappy changes, communication and supervision are fundamental requirements of infant care — not optional extras. We genuinely hope Guardian reviews its safety, communication and supervision practices so that no other family experiences what we did. Photo provided to give a basic idea of the 'care' my baby received - snot down face, absolutely freezing up on pick up, one sock on / off, soaking top (provided extra clothes. Not changed), not exactly looking thrilled AND this photo was published openly for parents to see…which makes me question, what occurs off public view? As this was deemed as suitable care to post.