Great Beginnings Gymea

We chose this centre based on its positive reviews, but unfortunately our experience was very different. On our son’s very first day, lasting just 3.5 hours in care, included being involved in two separate incidents that resulted in injury. In one case, another child who staff acknowledged has a history of lashing out, scratched him across the face. Given this was known behaviour, closer supervision and preventative measures should have been in place. When I arrived around 11am to collect him, he was extremely distressed and had a visible injury causing bleeding. I had to ask a staff member what happened and they suggested he “may have scratched himself,” however that "scratch" later developed a bruise and now a scar. The incident was not witnessed, and no report was created until I requested it be documented the following day. I was also told the centre does not have cameras. What concerned me most was the lack of communication and care from management. There was no follow-up or check-in from the centre manager to acknowledge what had happened or to simply see how my son was after a first day that didn’t go so well.. Instead, I had to approach her..The situation felt minimised and I was largely ignored. After confronting her about it the next day, she said she was "on her way to a meeting" and of the belief that "he was having a good day" not being aware of the second incident at that time. The centre also responded referencing their solid policies and procedures, however our experience suggests there are clearly gaps. It is difficult to understand how two injuries could occur within such a short time frame, especially in a room with only two children present. While I understand that accidents do happen, it was the way the situation was handled, and the clear lack of genuine care, particularly given it was his first day, that led us to withdraw our son immediately. Children are highly sensitive to the vibe of their carers, and I’m confident this contributed to his distress. Since then, he has been in other care settings and has adjusted without issue or distress…says a lot.