Dear Families,

On 2 April 2020, the Federal Government announced its continued commitment to having Early Childhood Education and Care Services remain open. The announcement prescribed a number of dramatic changes to the way centres operate financially. We, along with many of the Early Childhood sector, are still trying to adapt and predict what this will mean for our services. Whilst we have endeavoured to communicate as much as we can with families, there are still a number of issues that we will have to manage as we navigate this new way of doing business.

Adeona will continue to open as per normal, unless we receive a directive from the Federal Government or Queensland Health to the contrary.

The Federal Government announced on 2 April 2020 the following:

  1. Childcare will be fee-free for all families from 6 April 2020 to 28 June 2020
  2. Services must adhere to a priority of access hierarchy
    • Children of essential workers and children who are defined as vulnerable
    • All other children

Adeona will be strictly adhering to the Priority of Access hierarchy and children of parents who are not working and are not classified as vulnerable may not be able to attend if we are unable to meet staffing requirements for larger numbers of children. Centre Directors will notify and collaborate with families if this occurs.

Due to the centre operating at much lower than normal income, it is extremely important that families inform us if they are going to attend a care session or if they will be absent. Adeona is working hard to ensure our Educators are looked after under challenging conditions and by informing us with as much notice as possible whether you will be attending care helps us make optimal decisions. Please contact your Centre Director if you are not going to be attending care from the 6 April.

As of 6 April 2020 payment schedules for accounts that are current or in credit will be suspended. Any accounts that have an outstanding amount as at 5 April 2020 will continue to have their normal weekly amount debited until the account is cleared. This includes people whose fortnightly payments are due next week. Please speak to your Service Director if you have any concerns.

We have had many inquiries regarding reinstating enrolments/bookings that were cancelled prior to yesterday’s announcement. Adeona will reinstate enrolments that were in place at the 23 March 2020. If you cancelled your enrolment before this date, please speak to your Centre Director to ensure that those days are still available. Please note that while your enrolment can be reinstated physical attendance at the service may be dependent on the Priority of Access and the operational structure at this time.

We have also had requests for extra days at the service. I have requested that Centre Directors pause taking extra bookings until we are able to confirm numbers, staffing and priority of access needs and many other operational matters. If you are requiring extra days due to an increase in work hours, please email your Centre Director and we will contact you when we are able to confirm the availability of care.

We thank you for your patience as we work through these issues. We have had one day to implement a new system that overhauls our whole business, in ways which we have yet to fully realise the full impact of. We will continue to communicate and work with our families to provide the quality care that you have come to expect at Adeona. We are committed to remaining here for our families and children.

I would also like to take this opportunity to publicly thank our amazing educators who have continued to provide a safe and nurturing space for our families and children in these uncertain times. Whether it be face to face or through online videos, our educators have gone above and beyond to maintain relationships and connection, and normality for our children. The quality of any services starts with their educators, and we have the best.

Again, I would like to thank you, our valued parents and families for your continued support of Adeona. We will continue to update you as more information becomes available. Please reach out if you need anything or have any questions.

Kind Regards,

Adeona Management