A childcare provider has gone into voluntary administration after failing to satisfy regulators' requirements on a range of issues including staffing levels and food allergy contamination.
Edge Early Learning runs 68 childcare centres across SA, Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory, which will continue to operate on a business-as-usual basis.
In an online statement to parents on Wednesday, it said administrators from KordaMentha had been appointed to review the business and determine the best path forward.
"We understand that this may be a confusing and stressful development for families who rely upon Edge Early Learning to provide care for their children," it said.
"Our immediate focus is to maintain the safe and ongoing operation of each centre while this urgent review is undertaken."
The KordaMentha administrators said in a statement they were working with the company's management and staff to support the continued operation of the business.
The announcement comes after two of the provider's childcare centres in Adelaide, catering for around 130 children, were forced to shut in April after multiple operating breaches were detected by the Education Standards Board.
The Munno Para West centre was forced to close for 90 days due to supervision and staffing issues, while Gawler East shut for two weeks for failing to conduct real-time oversight of allergen-sensitive meal provision.
In order to reopen, the centres must comply with imposed conditions including improved educator-to-child ratios and re-training in food safety.
South Australian Education Minister Lucy Hood said in April the closures would be inconvenient for parents but the safety of children was paramount and Edge Early Learning was on notice.
The company's chief executive, Chris Chambers, said no child had been harmed and staff were working to minimise disruptions by securing alternative care arrangements at its nearby centres.
The parent advocacy group The Parenthood, said the voluntary administration of one of Australia’s largest early-learning providers had exposed the urgent need for stronger national oversight of the sector.
''When a provider operating dozens of centres across three jurisdictions enters administration, it is not simply a private business matter,'' Parenthood spokesperson Tegan Gilchrist said in a statement.
''Families need to know their children's care will continue and educators need certainty about their jobs."
Australia needed a national early-learning commission with oversight of provider growth, financial viability and quality, Ms Gilchrist said.
''We should be identifying risks and planning for continuity of care before families are left to deal with the fallout."
