‘His skin came off’: Sydney centre with 168 breaches joins wave of childcare closures
A Sydney childcare centre with 168 regulatory breaches, including repeated failures to change nappies and losing track of children, is closing amid stricter child safety laws. Operated by G8 Education, Greenwood Penrith will shut by May 15, joining a wave of closures and sales by providers unable or unwilling to meet new standards. Parents and former staff described unsafe conditions and systemic neglect, while regulators issued multiple emergency notices. The closures follow broader sector reforms prompted by high-profile childcare scandals.
- ▪Greenwood Penrith, run by G8 Education, recorded 168 confirmed regulatory breaches since 2018, including 27 incidents of unattended or missing children.
- ▪The centre received over 20 enforcement notices, including four emergency action notices, for posing immediate risks to child safety.
- ▪Parents reported severe neglect, including a child suffering skin loss from prolonged exposure to soiled nappies.
- ▪Since October, 27 childcare services in NSW have closed or been sold due to inability to comply with new child safety reforms.
- ▪Regulators and advocates say the reforms are forcing underperforming operators to either improve or exit the sector.
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