Uplyft childcare closing in Mount Barker and Katanning, with Kojonup to follow in 2027

Chief executive Jo Sadler told the ABC that the Mount Barker and Katanning closures were down to lease conditions, and that losing those two made a stand-alone centre in Kojonup unworkable. Uplyft told The Sector its regional centres share staff, supervision and overheads, so each one depends on the others.

According to Uplyft, the Shire of Plantagenet, which owns the Mount Barker building, wanted to switch the centre from a peppercorn rent to a commercial one, and the lease runs out on 31 December if no deal is struck. In Katanning, the shire chose Gowrie WA on 16 October to run childcare at its new Early Childhood Hub, pending ministerial approval and a signed lease. Uplyft expects Gowrie to start in Katanning in December and to open in Mount Barker soon after.

Uplyft's own page describes its centre there as the shire's only long day care provider, licensed for 21 children a day. The ABC quoted Sadler as saying it will shut in the first six months of 2027; Uplyft told The Sector it is working with the shire to hand the service to another operator by then. No replacement has been named. A Kojonup mechanic told the ABC the nearest option meant an 80km round trip twice a day.

Parents told the ABC they face waitlists and few vacancies elsewhere. Staff and families have been told, according to Uplyft, which has not said how many educators will lose their jobs. Across Australia, 152 services closed for good between 2024 and mid-2026, Early Learning and Care Council of Australia figures show.