Families were caught by surprise when they received a letter on Friday, May 22 informing them that a motion to close the NVCC would be made at a council meeting on the following Tuesday.
The original motion from council officers would have seen the centre close at the end of 2026.
An alternative motion was put forward by Councillor Geoff Akers that included an extension to 2027 to allow more time for families to come to terms with the decision.
Rebecca Andersson, whose two-year-old daughter attends the centre, said both parents and staff “were completely in the dark”.
Mrs Andersson said the most valuable part of the centre was “the amazing people who make it great”.
The centre currently supports 80 children from 67 families and was named for Nancy Vibert, who was a strong supporter of children’s welfare in Shepparton during her life.
There was broad support among councillors for the closure of the NVCC, as the site is unable to meet updated regulatory requirements.
Cr Akers acknowledged the challenging nature of the decision and said the centre’s size “creates significant issues for what we need to provide in the future”.
Cr Paul Wickham said he found the information provided to council to be accurate.
“Regulations have changed and forced our hand,” he said.
Cr Fern Summer said that pushing the closure to 2027 would provide some breathing space and that it took a lot to agree with closing a childcare centre “but in this case, it’s convincing”.
Not all councillors agreed with extending the timeline of the closure.
Cr Sam Spinks acknowledged that the decision had come out of nowhere but that the extension “may end up doing a disservice to families”.
The nearby Arthur Dickmann Children’s Centre was found to be capable of absorbing the whole population of the NVCC, with the current cap on capacity being the result of staffing rather than limited facilities.
The plan to consolidate council’s childcare services would see the NVCC staff retained and transitioned into other council-operated sites such as the ADCC.
Cr Spinks was concerned that the extended time frame would mean that staff would be unable to transition to ADCC and provide additional capacity while families began the process of looking elsewhere.
Cr Wickham supported this concern and said “the 2026 deadline does give the community the best outcome”.
Courtney Osman’s three-year-old daughter Ellie has only ever attended the NVCC and was enrolled after being on a 12-month waitlist.
Mrs Osman was not aware of any issues affecting the centre.
“My daughter is thriving, she loves it there,” she said.
Mrs Osman believes that she can make the transition work but feels that the communication was poorly handled.
Many other parents have taken to local Facebook groups to express their concern and disappointment with the closure of the centre and the short notice period before the council vote.
“The angst and emotion could have been avoided,” Mrs Osman said.
“All this could have been solved with a community meeting.”
Mrs Osman spoke to Mayor Shane Sali on the phone and said “he was very open to the discussion”.
Cr Sali said the extension to 2027 would allow business as usual to continue for the next 12 months, and was not concerned that the extension would limit capacity growth elsewhere.
Cr Sali said the majority of councillors felt the extension would allow more time for families “to understand what opportunities exist outside Nancy Vibert”.
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