Serving Mosman will support reintroducing community playgroup
In March 2018, Pippies, a privately run, much loved child care centre closed after 17 years of service at Balmoral Oval. Knowing the site was totally unique and precious, Council unanimously endorsed a $1.5 million budget to build a new Child care centre on the site for the Community. This centre would replace the Mosman Occasional Care service (MOCC), which at the time ran from the basement of the ABO pavilion.
Councillors and Councils senior planning staff sat on a committee to design and landscape the facility and we were all totally shattered when the NSW Rural Fire Service mandated impossible conditions on Council for the facility to proceed.
Council needed to either cut down a substantial swag of trees or move the facility almost into the middle of the oval! Both these demands were clearly untenable.
At the same time Council was also well underway with the redesign of the ABO pavilion which will be a first class multi use sporting and community facility.
At a confidential meeting Council carefully considered the possibility of re-designing the pavilion to accomodate child care. What was discussed remains confidential, but the final decision, was to not proceed with incorporating a child care centre into the new pavilion design.
A six week consultation was undertaken to get feedback from parents, who were understandably concerned and anxious.
Council staff worked tirelessly for months with other privately run child care operators to ensure adequate long day care, short day care and occasional care places were available for our children.
What did emerge from the consultation was occasional care was the service most needed and it is really reassuring to know that five local centres currently offer occasional care for parents.
Serving Mosman believes in the importance of quality pre school education and group play for the social, physical and emotional development and wellbeing of our children.
If elected on Saturday 4 September, Serving Mosman Councillors will ensure Council works collaboratively with child care service providers in the area and support the reintroduction of a Council run community playgroup.
