A chain of childcare centres based on the Montessori teaching method has gone into liquidation.
Nine Precious Cargo centres in Adelaide were placed into liquidation on Tuesday.
Adelaide-based business advisory firm Heard Phillips Lieberenz is now in charge of winding up the company, with directors Andrew Heard and Anthony Phillips appointed as liquidators.
Cheryl Shigrov founded Precious Cargo Education in 2006 after volunteering at her son’s Montessori preschool as play group co-ordinator and teacher’s assistant.
‘I am also a strong advocate of better pay and conditions for educators, including through the child care industry’s union, United Voice,’ she said.
‘My vision is to create a business model that gives back to the community and offers a unique and interconnecting range of businesses that support the improvement of humanity.’
The affected centres are at Blackwood, Collinswood, Lockleys, Marion, Woodville Park and Westbourne.
The initial liquidation announcement, affecting 11 centres, was made in June a day after the Fair Work Commission awarded a 15 per cent pay increase to childcare workers.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in August announced his government would set aside $3.6billion to fund this double-digit pay increase, which will see the first 10 per cent rise come into effect in December followed by the other 5 per cent in December 2025.
This will see childcare worker pay rise by $103 a week before Christmas, increasing to at least $155 a week from December 2025.
Mayfield Childcare in July announced it would buy seven Precious Cargo centres in Adelaide for $4.8million.