Childcare shutdown only temporary - centre management
Early learning
The Mossman Goodstart childcare centre near Club Mossman will be closed for the rest of the year, but will reopen in early January, according to centre owners.
National childcare providers Goodstart issued a statement to Newsport on Monday, which was confirmed by the State Government Education Department yesterday (Tuesday, November 25), that the centre has closed down temporarily this month due to staff shortages.
“We have apologised to the 12 families who rely on our centre and have communicated regularly to them about the staffing challenges,” Goodstart stated.
“Like many early learning centres in regional Australia, we have experienced difficulties in employing qualified staff which impacts our ability to meet the required room ratios to operate safely.
“We will reopen early in the new year to ensure we have a strong team to safely staff the centre and provide high quality learning environments for our children."
The centre will reopen on January 5, according to Goodstart.
An Education Department spokesperson said the centre had not been shut down by the Department, but had been voluntarily closed due to staffing shortages.
“They were relying on staff from their other Cairns services but have chosen to close temporarily due to the impact on other centres,” the spokesperson said.
“The voluntary closure relates to ongoing staffing shortages and significant staff turnover throughout 2025.
“The closure is temporary.”
The spokesperson said a meeting was held with Goodstart senior management yesterday and families would be notified in writing once the closure and re-opening arrangements were confirmed.
The Mossman Goodstart Early Learning Centre is at 14 Johnston Road.
Several concerned Mossman residents have contacted Newsport in the past week asking why the centre was shut.
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