![Kardinia Early Learning in Timboon has announced it will cease operations in June. Picture by Eddie Guerrero Kardinia Early Learning in Timboon has announced it will cease operations in June. Picture by Eddie Guerrero](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/134792786/1f4c5cc7-6b4e-4692-8f3a-884f1a3eeac9.jpg/r0_307_6000_3694_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
A Cobden-district mother is living a "nightmare" after the childcare centre her son attends announced its sudden closure.
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Amy Marlow said her four-year-old son had attended the Kardinia Early Learning centre in Timboon for four years, but she was now in an "impossible" situation after the service's chief executive officer on March 27 notified parents it would cease operating in the town on June 28.
"I just don't know what families will do," she said.
"My husband's already said he'll have to drop one day of work".
Kardinia CEO Sue Bunting told parents the provider would "not be renewing their lease" with Corangamite Shire Council for another term due to long-standing staff shortages.
"We understand this notification will be disappointing for many families, however, the educator and teacher shortage in rural Victoria has taken a significant toll on our team and organisation," she said.
"We have advertised for educators for over six months with little success, we have been sending staff from Geelong, Bannockburn, and Warrnambool to support the team in Timboon.
"... Our hope is that Corangamite Shire will find a new early learning provider to lease the space and continue providing long day care service to the Timboon community.
"The other option that we have suggested is that Corangamite Shire provide an early years education and care service under the Corangamite Shire Family and Children's Services."
Corangamite Shire mayor Kate Makin said she was "disappointed" with Kardinia's exit.
"It is council's intention to secure an alternate operator to take over the facility from June 28," she said.
"If an alternative operator can't be found, we will consider other options.
"Timboon Childcare is a much-loved and valued service and council will do all it can to ensure there is continuity of care."
Ms Marlow said in the meantime she'd scramble to find a solution in what one Victoria University study described as a "childcare desert".
The data, collected in December 2021, showed the south-west had nearly 3.5 children for every available place.
"My husband and I are both full time workers, so it's thrown a spanner in the works," she said.
"We use it two days a week. We live near Cobden but because there's no daycare available here, we're already having to travel 25 kilometres every morning and night for daycare in Timboon.
"Now that there's going to be no daycare in both Timboon and Cobden, we're kind of buggered. I know there's no spots in Camperdown, where the next closest centre is, because a friend of mine has had her name on a wait list for over 12 months.
"I know Colac's full as well, and I'm not prepared to drive 60 kilometres to Warrnambool every morning and night. They probably don't have any availability anyway.
"The cost of living is going up and everyone's trying to work to survive, but there's no way we can work when we've got children. It's almost impossible for both parents to have a full-time job."
But she said she understood why the provider had made the decision.
"It's been great and really accommodating for us over the past six years we've used it, even before it was run by Kardinia," Ms Marlow said.
"My son is my third child that's been through there. We don't hold Kardinia responsible, we know it's a staff issue."