Parents are losing their faith in the childcare industry

April 29, 2026 — 6:08pm

You have reached your maximum number of saved items.

Remove items from your saved list to add more.

Parents invest enormous trust in the childcare industry, but they are fast losing their faith as scandals – including allegations of sexual abuse in centres, physical assaults and neglect – mount, costs increase and quality issues persist.

The announcement on Wednesday that Australia’s largest private childcare centre operator, G8 Education, is planning to close up to 40 centres – nearly 10 per cent of its local operations – is emblematic of the crisis confronting the sector.

It followed the Herald’s revelation that the group planned to close early learning education centre Greenwood Penrith next month.

G8 said the mass closures resulted from ongoing........

© The Sydney Morning Herald