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The first time I dropped my daughter at daycare, I cried in the car. I’m not the only mum who has cried in the car after a daycare drop-off. It’s the guilt that gets you. The only thing that keeps you going is the comfort of knowing that they’re in safe hands.
Last week, a video obtained by ABC’s 7.30 revealed a shocking moment. A childcare worker at an Affinity Education centre in South Strathfield slapping a baby in the face while a colleague laughed – and filmed. The clip, shot in May 2023 and just nine seconds long, was later uploaded to Snapchat. It’s a moment no parent should ever have to imagine, let alone see.
But it’s not an isolated incident. The footage is just one among hundreds of disturbing cases uncovered in newly released regulatory documents, obtained after NSW Greens MP Abigail Boyd petitioned the state’s childcare regulator to disclose its findings. The documents reveal that Affinity Education – one of Australia’s largest private childcare providers, with over 250 centres nationwide – racked up more than 1,700 regulatory breaches in New South Wales alone between 2021 and 2024. What the actual?
One former employee described chronic understaffing, telling 7.30 that cost-cutting had pushed ratios to unsafe levels and “caused serious incidents in the centre.” Another said young, underqualified staff were being hired simply because they were cheaper than trained professionals. The video, she said, was a symptom of that larger rot.
The childcare worker involved was convicted of common assault and received a community corrections order. She has been banned from working in childcare for 12 months. The colleague who filmed the incident resigned.
Affinity CEO Tim Hickey issued an apology, saying: “I want to express again how profoundly sorry I am that something like this could occur to any child in our care.” He added that the company acted swiftly once police informed them of the incident, insisting it was not representative of “the dedicated, professional team who care for children every day.”
But further examples from the same year suggest otherwise. In Elderslie, another Affinity staff member was caught on CCTV dragging a child across the floor by the arm. In Epping, a child needed medical treatment after an educator yanked them backwards, dislocating their elbow. Both were also banned from working in childcare for 12 months.
These are not edge cases. They are flashing red signals. The documents reveal a pattern of failure – and a regulatory response that is far too soft. Despite thousands of breaches across centres, fewer than ten fines have been issued over three years.
What kind of society tolerates that?
The system we rely on to care for our youngest citizens is overburdened, underregulated, and often unsafe. Too many centres are run like profit-driven enterprises, where the wellbeing of children is a cost centre, not a core mission. Staff are underpaid and stretched thin. Experienced educators leave. The gaps are filled by those who don’t always have the training – or temperament – for the job.
What we need isn’t more subsidies alone. It’s structural reform. Real enforcement. A cultural shift that treats caregivers with respect and children as more than economic inputs.
My girls are now at school, so daycare drop-offs are long gone. I no longer feel guilty for working. But I do feel angry – angry at how easily we’ve accepted a system that too often fails the people who rely on it most.
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