KINDY IN FORCED CLOSURE

A TOWNSVILLE kindergarten has been temporarily shut after a spate of incidents including the smacking of a child, hygiene issues, incomplete records, safety concerns, a lack of appropriately qualified teaching staff, Blue Card issue and problems with first aid supplies.

Busy Kids Kindergarten and Child Care in Cranbrook will be shut for three months after a decision by the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

The Department of Education and Training decided to suspend the centre’s service approval in March but parent company BKE Pty Ltd sought a review of the decision.

The Department of Education then consented to an order staying the closure pending the outcome.

QCAT member Robert Olding said in his decision that he could not be satisfied that BKE was “committed to ensuring compliance with the re- quirements of the National Law and Regulations”.

He also noted that the smacking incident, which took place on June 15, 2016, was an isolated one and did not warrant the suspension of service approval on its own.

But the Department of Education also found a number of alleged breaches when inspecting the facility in the wake of the incident, with the centre also having a history of compliance issues.

The breaches included incomplete records, Blue Card issues, a first aid kit that could be accessed by children, built- up grime on tables and floors, a warm fridge, mouldy mattresses, unsafe play equipment and the service not currently having access to an early childhood teacher.

On the back of departmental investigations, the centre closed down from April 14 this year, but reopened on June 26.

Attempts were made to contact BKE Pty Ltd for comment yesterday. The suspension starts today.