Childcare border dispute

By Callan Date
A NARRE Warren East childcare centre is feeling the pinch of a bureaucratic bungle.
Wellington Road Playschool is situated just outside the City of Casey boundary but is struggling to enrol any Casey children in its kindergarten and childcare programs.
The problem, according to the playschool’s owner Michelle Batson, revolves around the inability to be listed in the City of Casey playgroup directory.
Ms Batson said she was concerned many families living close to her playschool but within the Casey boundaries are missing out on the local option.
“There seems to be so much red tape for everything.
“My qualm is that we have this register for Casey and the playschool may not be able to be seen on the directory by Casey families who are only streets away from the centre,” Ms Batson said.
Wellington Road Playschool is officially located within Shire of Yarra Ranges.
Ms Batson said she has had no problems in being listed within the Yarra Ranges’ directory.
“We have started up our kinder program for 2008 and we only have one enrolment at the moment.
“We are a centre that is at the cusp of Casey and the Yarra Ranges yet the information that Casey residents need is not getting out.
“I have been told a number of different things from a number of different people at Casey regarding the listing of my centre,” she said.
Despite Ms Batson’s concerns, Casey has said it will not change its policy of only listing playgroups within its boundaries.
“While some playgroups may draw their client base from families who live in neighbouring municipalities, the City of Casey playgroup directory, as the name suggests, only lists those playgroups that operate within the municipality,” Casey’s manager of children’s services Colette McMahon said.
“Playgroups that may be situated close to the border of a neighbouring municipality would not only have the opportunity to register their details with the municipality in which they are located, but if they are affiliated with Playgroup Victoria, they also have the opportunity to advertise their playgroup through the Playgroup Victoria directory website,” Ms McMahon said.