Latest news with #MilestonesEarlyLearning
Daily Mail
18-07-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Texts leak from Tingalpa daycare centre where male childcare worker, 21, was charged with a sexual offence
Leaked messages from an internal daycare website show furious parents demanding answers after a male childcare worker was charged with a sex offence this week. The man, 21, was charged with the alleged indecent treatment of a four-year-old child at Milestones Early Learning Tingalpa in Brisbane 's east. The Cleveland man was bailed to appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court on August 4. The centre's embattled provider Affinity Education Group has confirmed the man has been stood down over the alleged incident on July 10. The news has rattled Milestones Early Learning Tingalpa parents, many of whom feel they have been left in the dark by the centre. Some are furious the daycare didn't inform parents about the matter until late on Thursday, after many parents had picked their children up. Screenshots from the centre's parent communication portal seen by Daily Mail Australia revealed many found out about the allegations through the media. 'Can you or the team at Tingalpa provide any confirmation on the news that has come out today,' one parent asked. Many parents demanded answers after they found out about the allegations through the media (pictured are screenshots from the centre's parent communication portal) 'I feel like that as parents with children at the centre, we are entitled to know this kind of information as it is quite concerning to hear,' another added. Other parents claimed that messages and calls to the centre went unanswered throughout the day on Thursday. 'More attention needs to be paid to providing parents (and presumably centre staff) with adequate information, resources and support sooner. Very poor communication,' another wrote. As of Friday, parents are still demanding answers. 'We haven't received any further information regarding the nature of the incident, support in how to talk to our kids about it, or whether there may have been other children affected,' one mum told Daily Mail Australia. 'The reaction from Affinity has been a disgrace and I believe they need to be held accountable.' When Daily Mail Australia contacted Affinity Education Group for comment on Friday, the centre reiterated its previous statement released a day earlier. 'This matter is being taken extremely seriously and we are providing our full co-operation with Queensland Police,' the statement read. 'The safety and wellbeing of all children and staff at our centres is our highest priority, and we will continue to co-operate with regulatory authorities and support our families and team during this time. 'Upon becoming aware of complaints regarding the individual, we immediately reported the matter to the relevant authorities, including police, and stood down the individual. 'As this is an active investigation, communications with parents regarding this matter are being managed by Queensland Police. We are supporting all families in any way we can, including offering counselling support services.' Investigations by the Bayside Child Protection Investigation Unit remain ongoing. The centre is part of Affinity Education Group, the same childcare provider where alleged Melbourne paedophile Joshua Dale Brown, 26, worked before he was recently charged with dozens of child abuse offences.
ABC News
15-07-2025
- ABC News
Childcare group reviews staff movements after Joshua Brown worked at 23 centres in 8 years
A major childcare operator is reviewing the way it employs its workers after authorities confirmed accused abuser Joshua Dale Brown worked at more sites than originally thought. On Monday, authorities added four centres to a list of sites where the 26-year-old was known to have worked, and amended employment dates for 10 previously known locations. They also recommended a further 800 children undergo "precautionary" infectious disease testing, bringing the total to 2,000. Mr Brown has been charged with more than 70 offences, including sexual assault. Detectives believe he worked at a total of 23 childcare centres over more than eight years, a workplace history that early learning experts say is not unusual. Victoria Police have said it was "likely" more updates will be made to the list in coming weeks. It has promoted some parents to question how Mr Brown worked shifts at almost two dozen centres, sometimes for just one day. Affinity Education Group owns 13 of the 23 businesses where Mr Brown worked between 2017 and 2025. In August 2024, Mr Brown was hired as a permanent part-time employee at Milestones Early Learning in Hoppers Crossing but the centre didn't open for business until November of that year. While waiting for that new centre to come online and to increase its enrolments, he worked at other childcare centres owned by the company. He worked at childcare centres owned by the group until May of this year. In a statement published on its website, Affinity said: "While this is a common operational practice in the sector, we are now reviewing how these movements are managed through a stronger child safety lens." G8 Education did not respond to detailed questions from the ABC about the nature of Mr Brown's employment, but based on the current list, he started working for the group in October 2021. Across more than two years with G8, he worked at Creative Garden Point Cook, Leopold World of Learning, Greenwood Point Cook and Little Blossoms Child Care Centre Werribee. He last worked for G8 Education in February 2024. The childcare giant said on Saturday that Mr Brown resigned following investigations into his conduct. University of South Australia's senior lecturer in early childhood education, Martyn Mills-Bayne, said childcare centres experienced high rates of staff turnover. "The high casualisation and part-time employment nature of the workforce means that there are many educators who work across centres, for different providers," he said. A 2023 study commissioned by the Federal Government and conducted by Jobs and Skills Australia found 30 per cent of child carers were casually employed. The same report found 30 per cent of education aides in the sector were on fixed term contracts. Dr Mills-Bayne said that low wages and poor working conditions contributed to high rates of staff turnover. When authorities announced earlier this month that Mr Brown had been charged with child sex offences, Emily's* partner contacted an Affinity Education Group centre to make sure he had not worked there. She had two children at Milestones Early Learning in Greensborough. "That centre wasn't on the list, but we thought let's just check to reassure ourselves,' she told the ABC. She was shocked when the centre replied within hours and said Mr Brown had completed a shift at the service. A week later she heard about additional dates from another parent, however it took two full weeks before authorities could confirm Mr Brown worked at Milestones Early Learning in Greensborough on three occasions. Police have described the investigation to confirm Mr Brown's work history as 'extremely complex' with a lack of a centralised database meaning detectives needed to review handwritten records and shift rosters. "It's already a difficult enough situation but to be sitting here waiting for official advice is incredibly stressful,' Emily said. She was disappointed Affinity Education Group had not been personally contacting affected parents. "I feel the communication from Affinity has been insufficient, to put it lightly,' she said. "We shouldn't have to be playing detective ourselves". An Affinity spokesperson said the company was committed to supporting affected families and would continue to "cooperate fully" with authorities. G8 Education said in a statement it was "continuing to work with the Victorian Police, Victorian Government and other authorities as part of their ongoing investigation and are doing everything we can to give them the best chance of achieving justice for the children and families involved". *Name has been changed to protect her children's identities.
The Advertiser
15-07-2025
- The Advertiser
Records questioned as centres linked to alleged abuser
Childcare record-keeping practices are under scrutiny as police identify more facilities linked to an educator accused of sex offences. More than 800 children are being urged to get tested for infectious diseases after four extra childcare centres were revealed as locations where Joshua Dale Brown had worked. Brown is charged with more than 70 sex offences against eight children younger than two at a centre at Point Cook, in Melbourne's southwest, between April 2022 and January 2023. The newly listed locations, all operated by Affinity Education, include Kids Academy Waratah Estate in Mickleham, as well as Milestones Early Learning centres in Tarneit, Greensborough and Braybrook. Police have amended the list of dates and locations, including extending Brown's period of employment at Papilio Early Learning in Essendon by six months and removing the chain's Hoppers Crossing centre from the list. He is believed to have worked at 23 childcare centres between January 2017 and May 2025. The updated list comes more than two weeks after Brown's charges were first revealed, with police blaming the delay in releasing his complete work history on childcare record-keeping practices. "This has been extremely complex due to childcare approved providers not having centralised records, requiring detectives to execute search warrants to obtain handwritten records, shift rosters and other critical information," a police spokesperson said. Investigators have had to interview witnesses to verify details and assessed more than 270 Crime Stoppers reports. It was incredible major childcare providers wouldn't have a centralised record-keeping system, early education advocate and consultant Lisa Bryant said. "This is very unusual. If any other childcare centre could not give accurate employment records, it would be a major problem," she told AAP. Ms Bryant said there was a high degree of software use in the sector, including to record children's attendance, communicate with parents and record when educators were on duty, to prove to regulators they had enough educators to meet ratios. "It would be very rare for anyone to do that manually," she said. Melody Glaister, whose daughter attended a childcare centre at the time the accused was working, said it was ridiculous there was no centralised system of records. "I would have thought that that would be pretty standard for most employers and most childcare centres," she said. An Affinity Education spokeswoman said the company had reviewed employment and staffing records since being briefed on the matter on July 1 and had provided information to police. The Victorian government has pledged to establish a register of early childhood educators in the next two months, which will link into an announced national registration system once it is established. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 Childcare record-keeping practices are under scrutiny as police identify more facilities linked to an educator accused of sex offences. More than 800 children are being urged to get tested for infectious diseases after four extra childcare centres were revealed as locations where Joshua Dale Brown had worked. Brown is charged with more than 70 sex offences against eight children younger than two at a centre at Point Cook, in Melbourne's southwest, between April 2022 and January 2023. The newly listed locations, all operated by Affinity Education, include Kids Academy Waratah Estate in Mickleham, as well as Milestones Early Learning centres in Tarneit, Greensborough and Braybrook. Police have amended the list of dates and locations, including extending Brown's period of employment at Papilio Early Learning in Essendon by six months and removing the chain's Hoppers Crossing centre from the list. He is believed to have worked at 23 childcare centres between January 2017 and May 2025. The updated list comes more than two weeks after Brown's charges were first revealed, with police blaming the delay in releasing his complete work history on childcare record-keeping practices. "This has been extremely complex due to childcare approved providers not having centralised records, requiring detectives to execute search warrants to obtain handwritten records, shift rosters and other critical information," a police spokesperson said. Investigators have had to interview witnesses to verify details and assessed more than 270 Crime Stoppers reports. It was incredible major childcare providers wouldn't have a centralised record-keeping system, early education advocate and consultant Lisa Bryant said. "This is very unusual. If any other childcare centre could not give accurate employment records, it would be a major problem," she told AAP. Ms Bryant said there was a high degree of software use in the sector, including to record children's attendance, communicate with parents and record when educators were on duty, to prove to regulators they had enough educators to meet ratios. "It would be very rare for anyone to do that manually," she said. Melody Glaister, whose daughter attended a childcare centre at the time the accused was working, said it was ridiculous there was no centralised system of records. "I would have thought that that would be pretty standard for most employers and most childcare centres," she said. An Affinity Education spokeswoman said the company had reviewed employment and staffing records since being briefed on the matter on July 1 and had provided information to police. The Victorian government has pledged to establish a register of early childhood educators in the next two months, which will link into an announced national registration system once it is established. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 Childcare record-keeping practices are under scrutiny as police identify more facilities linked to an educator accused of sex offences. More than 800 children are being urged to get tested for infectious diseases after four extra childcare centres were revealed as locations where Joshua Dale Brown had worked. Brown is charged with more than 70 sex offences against eight children younger than two at a centre at Point Cook, in Melbourne's southwest, between April 2022 and January 2023. The newly listed locations, all operated by Affinity Education, include Kids Academy Waratah Estate in Mickleham, as well as Milestones Early Learning centres in Tarneit, Greensborough and Braybrook. Police have amended the list of dates and locations, including extending Brown's period of employment at Papilio Early Learning in Essendon by six months and removing the chain's Hoppers Crossing centre from the list. He is believed to have worked at 23 childcare centres between January 2017 and May 2025. The updated list comes more than two weeks after Brown's charges were first revealed, with police blaming the delay in releasing his complete work history on childcare record-keeping practices. "This has been extremely complex due to childcare approved providers not having centralised records, requiring detectives to execute search warrants to obtain handwritten records, shift rosters and other critical information," a police spokesperson said. Investigators have had to interview witnesses to verify details and assessed more than 270 Crime Stoppers reports. It was incredible major childcare providers wouldn't have a centralised record-keeping system, early education advocate and consultant Lisa Bryant said. "This is very unusual. If any other childcare centre could not give accurate employment records, it would be a major problem," she told AAP. Ms Bryant said there was a high degree of software use in the sector, including to record children's attendance, communicate with parents and record when educators were on duty, to prove to regulators they had enough educators to meet ratios. "It would be very rare for anyone to do that manually," she said. Melody Glaister, whose daughter attended a childcare centre at the time the accused was working, said it was ridiculous there was no centralised system of records. "I would have thought that that would be pretty standard for most employers and most childcare centres," she said. An Affinity Education spokeswoman said the company had reviewed employment and staffing records since being briefed on the matter on July 1 and had provided information to police. The Victorian government has pledged to establish a register of early childhood educators in the next two months, which will link into an announced national registration system once it is established. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 Childcare record-keeping practices are under scrutiny as police identify more facilities linked to an educator accused of sex offences. More than 800 children are being urged to get tested for infectious diseases after four extra childcare centres were revealed as locations where Joshua Dale Brown had worked. Brown is charged with more than 70 sex offences against eight children younger than two at a centre at Point Cook, in Melbourne's southwest, between April 2022 and January 2023. The newly listed locations, all operated by Affinity Education, include Kids Academy Waratah Estate in Mickleham, as well as Milestones Early Learning centres in Tarneit, Greensborough and Braybrook. Police have amended the list of dates and locations, including extending Brown's period of employment at Papilio Early Learning in Essendon by six months and removing the chain's Hoppers Crossing centre from the list. He is believed to have worked at 23 childcare centres between January 2017 and May 2025. The updated list comes more than two weeks after Brown's charges were first revealed, with police blaming the delay in releasing his complete work history on childcare record-keeping practices. "This has been extremely complex due to childcare approved providers not having centralised records, requiring detectives to execute search warrants to obtain handwritten records, shift rosters and other critical information," a police spokesperson said. Investigators have had to interview witnesses to verify details and assessed more than 270 Crime Stoppers reports. It was incredible major childcare providers wouldn't have a centralised record-keeping system, early education advocate and consultant Lisa Bryant said. "This is very unusual. If any other childcare centre could not give accurate employment records, it would be a major problem," she told AAP. Ms Bryant said there was a high degree of software use in the sector, including to record children's attendance, communicate with parents and record when educators were on duty, to prove to regulators they had enough educators to meet ratios. "It would be very rare for anyone to do that manually," she said. Melody Glaister, whose daughter attended a childcare centre at the time the accused was working, said it was ridiculous there was no centralised system of records. "I would have thought that that would be pretty standard for most employers and most childcare centres," she said. An Affinity Education spokeswoman said the company had reviewed employment and staffing records since being briefed on the matter on July 1 and had provided information to police. The Victorian government has pledged to establish a register of early childhood educators in the next two months, which will link into an announced national registration system once it is established. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
Sydney Morning Herald
15-07-2025
- Health
- Sydney Morning Herald
Alleged paedophile worked in 23 childcare centres, and police warn the list may grow
About 800 more children will be tested for sexually transmitted infections after authorities revealed alleged Melbourne paedophile Joshua Dale Brown worked at four more childcare centres than was previously known. Detectives warned on Tuesday that even more children might have to undergo testing in the coming weeks, revealing that incorrect employment records had drastically complicated the investigation into the accused paedophile's alleged offending. Authorities on Tuesday updated Brown's employment history to include the four additional centres; Kids Academy Waratah Estate in Mickleham, and three Milestones Early Learning locations: Tarneit, Braybrook and Greensborough. Brown is now known to have worked at 23 childcare centres over the past eight years between January 2017 and May 2025. It was also revealed that Brown's employment dates for 10 childcare centres previously listed were incorrect, and have since been updated. Police initially told the public that Brown had worked at Papilio Early Learning Hoppers Crossing for more than six months – but have since determined he did not work there at all. Victorian Chief Health Officer Christian McGrath said families whose children attended the newly identified centres during Brown's employment were in the process of being contacted. 'Our recommendation for testing is a precaution and the test results we've received to date as part of this investigation reaffirms that the risk is low,' McGrath said. About 1300 young children were already expected to be tested, after 70 child sex abuse charges were laid against Brown in May, including allegations he used bodily fluid to contaminate children's food. The unprecedented testing regime – at screening centres and GP clinics across the metropolitan area – was established after authorities learnt Brown had been diagnosed with several sexually transmitted infections, according to two police sources speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly. Police noted the information released on Tuesday was the 'most accurate and up-to-date record available', but warned further updates to the alleged paedophile's employment history were likely.
West Australian
15-07-2025
- West Australian
Records questioned as centres linked to alleged abuser
Childcare record-keeping practices are under scrutiny as police identify more facilities linked to an educator accused of sex offences. More than 800 children are being urged to get tested for infectious diseases after four extra childcare centres were revealed as locations where Joshua Dale Brown had worked. Brown is charged with more than 70 sex offences against eight children younger than two at a centre at Point Cook, in Melbourne's southwest, between April 2022 and January 2023. The newly listed locations, all operated by Affinity Education, include Kids Academy Waratah Estate in Mickleham, as well as Milestones Early Learning centres in Tarneit, Greensborough and Braybrook. Police have amended the list of dates and locations, including extending Brown's period of employment at Papilio Early Learning in Essendon by six months and removing the chain's Hoppers Crossing centre from the list. He is believed to have worked at 23 childcare centres between January 2017 and May 2025. The updated list comes more than two weeks after Brown's charges were first revealed, with police blaming the delay in releasing his complete work history on childcare record-keeping practices. "This has been extremely complex due to childcare approved providers not having centralised records, requiring detectives to execute search warrants to obtain handwritten records, shift rosters and other critical information," a police spokesperson said. Investigators have had to interview witnesses to verify details and assessed more than 270 Crime Stoppers reports. It was incredible major childcare providers wouldn't have a centralised record-keeping system, early education advocate and consultant Lisa Bryant said. "This is very unusual. If any other childcare centre could not give accurate employment records, it would be a major problem," she told AAP. Ms Bryant said there was a high degree of software use in the sector, including to record children's attendance, communicate with parents and record when educators were on duty, to prove to regulators they had enough educators to meet ratios. "It would be very rare for anyone to do that manually," she said. Melody Glaister, whose daughter attended a childcare centre at the time the accused was working, said it was ridiculous there was no centralised system of records. "I would have thought that that would be pretty standard for most employers and most childcare centres," she said. An Affinity Education spokeswoman said the company had reviewed employment and staffing records since being briefed on the matter on July 1 and had provided information to police. The Victorian government has pledged to establish a register of early childhood educators in the next two months, which will link into an announced national registration system once it is established. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
