KALAMUNDA parents are concerned their community learning centre creche will slowly disappear after its opening hours were slashed and staffing changed from paid to voluntary.

The Kalamunda community learning centre creche has been a vital service for families in the community, providing quality, affordable childcare while parents and carers attend classes at the learning centre.

The community learning centre offers courses in anything from French language to fibre art, human biology and investing.

Classes run Monday to Friday, with a morning and afternoon session.

A Kalamunda mum said she had been using the creche for years and was worried about what the decrease in open hours and the loss of paid staff would mean for both her family and the wider community.

She said the creche used to be open and available for all class sessions both morning and afternoon Monday to Friday, however due to the change from paid staff to volunteer, it is now only open on a Thursday morning.

This weekly session will also only be open to 2024 creche users, so no newly enrolled parents can put their children into the creche in semester one 2025.

The cost of creche increased from $5 per child to $10 per child last year, but she said everyone was more than happy to pay what was needed.

“We completely understand that everything’s getting more expensive, so the cost wasn’t an issue,” she said.

“Many people enrolled in community learning centre classes are able to come during the day because of the on-site creche, and it would be so sad both for us as parents and for the life of the learning centre to lose that.

“They have also suggested some of the mums help run the creche, and we’re happy to take on some hours, but I don’t think they can realistically rely on the mums who need the creche to go to class when the creche isn’t there for us to use anymore.

“So many people will have to go to less classes or stop coming because they don’t have anywhere to put their kids.

“There are other daycares in the hills, definitely, but they are not cheap, and don’t have the convenience of being on-site, where you can see your kids and pick them up straight after your class finishes.

“This is a vital service to parents in our community, and I think the whole community should be allowed and encouraged to pitch in to keep it going, not just the parents who are going to use it.”

Kalamunda Community Learning Centre coordinator Ann O’Malley said the creche would need the help of its parents and learning centre members to remain open.

“The cost of operating the creche with paid staff greatly outweighs the income generated from crèche attendees,” she said.

“A diligent member is working hard to offer a voluntary run crèche which the executive committee supports for next year.”

A meeting was held with enrolled parents at the end of last month, but the mum said the discussion did not make a positive impact.