Inner north-west childcare centre to shut after lead found in soil

A childcare centre in Melbourne’s inner north-west will be shut for six months after heavy metals, including lead, were discovered under soil in an outdoor area.

National childcare giant Goodstart said the risk of contamination, either to children or workers, was low and that children at its Flemington centre would be able to attend the company’s centres in nearby areas when Flemington shuts its doors in May for up to six months.

Parents were told this week that survey work ahead of a planned renovation at Flemington in October had discovered heavy metals, including lead, about 10 centimetres beneath a chicken coop and a garden bed next to a fence in the centre’s kindergarten space.

The daycare was subsequently closed for two days for maintenance work.

Loading

It is now closing again for more extensive work expected to take up to six months. Parents have been given four weeks’ notice of the temporary closure.

“Goodstart takes safety for children and our teams very seriously,” parents were told by email. “Our team members will also temporarily relocate to support children.

“While the risk of contamination is low for any child or Goodstart team member, safety is always our highest priority.”

More to come