Understaffing forced the ABC Learning Centre in Garran to turn children away yesterday amid fears pressure on Canberra's embattled child-care sector is set to worsen.
It is understood at least five child-care workers walked away from the Garran centre last week, leaving it unable to meet the required child-to-staff ratio.
As working parents were left fearing for the security of their child-care arrangements, it was revealed the operators of a proposed multimillion-dollar child-care centre in Gungahlin abandoned the project.
Progress on the Forde Early Learning Centre appears to have been derailed after the operators objected to the terms of the land's sale.
Parents hoping to use the proposed Forde centre will also be concerned the operators wanted to expand the centre to accommodate up to 120 children, but the Government said the land was sold on the basis the centre would cater for 90.
It would be subject to betterment tax for every child above the 90 threshold.
Chief Minister Jon Stanhope said yesterday he welcomed more places. However, the project would have to go through the planning system first.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for Education Minister Andrew Barr confirmed yesterday that the Garran centre had been forced to turn away children.
''A departmental official attended the centre and established that the centre was not compliant with child-to-staff ratios,'' the spokesman said.
''The department advised ABC staff that in the interests of child safety, the centre would need to find more staff or reduce the number of children attending the centre on the day.'' It is unclear just how many children were sent home.
The father of one of the children sent away, who wished only to be known as Anthony, said the centre was ''on the verge of not being able to operate''.
Anthony's 19-month-old son had a permanent place at the centre, but the centre called the child's mother yesterday and asked her to collect her son.
''She was basically told 'you can't have him there today, we're in the process of telling at least 10-15 families that they will have to withdraw their children today','' Anthony said.
A spokeswoman for McGrathNicol, the receiver who bailed out ABC Learning after its collapse last November, said new staff had been found and it would be business as usual today.
''Some children at the centre were sent home today in line with company policy to maintain adequate staff-to-children ratios and, importantly, to ensure the provision of high quality care,'' the spokeswoman said.
''While this situation was an unexpected one, two new staff members have already been recruited and will start work at the centre on Wednesday.
''This will allow all children to attend the centre as per usual from tomorrow onwards.''
Anthony predicted a ''mass exodus'' of parents from the centre.
Developers Metro said construction would continue, but terms imposed by the ACT Government made the venture unviable.
Forde Early Learning Centre spokesman Dean Logan said each child on top of the 90 maximum could force the centre to pass a cost of $6600 on to parents.
''They've [the operators, Lomax] pulled out because it's unviable,'' he said.
Mr Logan said Metro would continue looking for an operator who could run the centre with 90 or fewer places.
He contended the Land Development Agency had no authority over child care, and had no right to set a 90-child maximum.
The developers called yesterday for the betterment tax to be waived, but their pleas fell on deaf ears.
Mr Stanhope said the Government would make no ''special deals for special developers''.
''We can't get into that slippery slide or that slippery slope,'' MrStanhope said.
''Land in the ACT belongs to the people of the ACT.
''Every government has a responsibility to ensure that that land receives the value that's due to it.''
The city's child-care sector has been in crisis for some time.
Earlier in January, a Canberra Times survey of 67 centres found that more than 80 per cent were full, and the rest nearly at capacity.
Regardless, Sam Wilson will drop her children off at Garran centre this morning. ''If there are any more phone calls, hopefully they're not for us,'' she said.
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