A national childcare provider has issued a statement claiming a “payroll issue” was caused by a “technical error, which has now been resolved”.
But for staff at Genius Childcare, the ongoing problems of pay delays and withheld superannuation motivated at least 15 of their educators to resign from one centre in Gowrie – one of five Genius Childcare centres in the Australian Capital Territory. Genius Childcare acquired 31 childcare centres, including the five in the ACT, from another childcare company called G8 Education in April.
A Genius spokesperson said, although “rare payroll timing issues” had occurred since April this year, each one was “promptly addressed” and “we are improving reliability”.
One educator says staff “”every single fortnight, we don’t know if we’re getting paid”.
“I don’t think, at some of our centres, we’ve ever been paid on time.”
Multiple Genius Childcare centres are now impacted by the resignations the pay issues have prompted..
“I am sorry for the families, we really want to open … but we are fighting for our rights, our basic rights,” one educator says.
A report has been lodged with the ACT’s childcare regulator, the Children’s Education and Care Assurance (CECA).
Growth presented “challenges”
In its statement, Genius says its growth had presented “challenges”.
“As we continue to scale rapidly, some operational adjustments have been necessary.
“We are actively addressing these issues and implementing improved processes to ensure a smoother experience for both our staff and the families we serve.
“Affected staff have been notified, payments expedited, and safeguards implemented to prevent recurrence.”
Parents at Genius Childcare in Gowrie support the staff resignations, which will take effect on Friday 6 December and compel many families to find places at other childcare centres in the area.
“We were shocked and appalled really that this could be happening,” one parent says.
“Why is this company getting away with this and how have they gotten away with this for so long, and why is it still going on?”
