Manukau Institute of Technology childcare centre to shut, parents in lurch and jobs at risk

Parents were told at the Manukau Institute of Technology Children’s Education Centre's end-of-year Christmas party that the school would close. Photo / Manukau Institute of Technology

Parents at a childcare centre Christmas party were left “crying and stressed” when the manager announced the school would be closing for good.

Families at the Manukau Institute of Technology Children’s Education Centre were told last Friday the daycare is no longer financially viable and will close on December 17.

MIT Early Childhood Education Diploma student Jade Cerutti said the timing of the announcement could not have been worse.

“I was just shocked,” Cerutti said.

“With two weeks before we’re supposed to end, a joyous period where we’re celebrating everything, it was devastating.”

The childcare centre is located at MIT’s North campus in Ōtara and is open to MIT staff, students, and the wider community.

Another MIT Early Childhood Education student, Sera Allen, said the impending closure of the school has forced her to consider delaying or discontinuing her studies.

“It’s the convenience of having the daycare on-site, being able to drop my son and then go to class, I have peace of mind.

“If anything goes wrong, they can call me and I’ll be there in a minute max. Or if I need to study a bit later, I’ll ask ‘Can I pick him up at this time?’ and they’ll say, ‘That’s fine, you do that’.”

In a letter to parents on Monday, MIT said it had made attempts over “several years” to stabilise the school’s financial situation.

“We have explored a range of options, including marketing initiatives, staff discounts, and external advice on growing enrolments.

“Unfortunately, these measures did not achieve the level of revenue required to secure the centre’s future.”

A petition launched by parents to keep the school open has received almost 1000 signatures in just two days. It questions the lack of consultation in MIT’s decision-making process and highlights the impact on working families.

“It’s been around for 30 years, so it’s basically a piece of Ōtara that they’re just scratching off the map,” Cerutti said.

Parents and community are willing to do their part to help, Allen said.

“If it’s financial reasons, we can pay for food for the kids, we can get more tamariki in the daycare.”

MIT deputy chief executive – learner experience and success, Simon Nash, said in a statement to the Herald, “We understand the disruption the closure of the centre will cause to those who use it.

“We are committed to working alongside centre parents and caregivers to find alternative options for their tamariki in the new year.”