Community Update

ACS Withdraws - What this means next for early years care in Beechworth?
30 April

Dear families, educators, and supporters,

We’re writing to share an important update — and to thank you.

On Tuesday evening, Alpine Children’s Services (ACS) formally withdrew its application to operate from the Mayday Hills Early Years facility. This decision came just hours before the Indigo Shire Council meeting and marks a significant turning point in a process that has been deeply challenging for our centre and our community.

We acknowledge and appreciate ACS’ leadership in making this decision in the face of unprecedented community concern and strong support for our centre. We also recognise that this outcome may be disappointing for those who were committed to working with ACS.

While the withdrawal brings relief, it also reinforces what we already knew: your advocacy made a difference.

More than 100 of you gathered on Tuesday for a peaceful community picnic outside Council chambers. It was a powerful moment of unity, strength, and collective care. Many then entered the Council meeting, to hear the tabling of our petition which had received over 430 signatures of local Beechworth people in less than 24 hours; and a range of submitted questions read out to the chamber. 

What happens now?

We are ready to move forward to serve the needs of the Beechworth community.

BCEYLC has formally written to Council to confirm that we are ready and willing to remain in the Mayday Hills building and continue our high-quality early years services. We’ve asked Council to move quickly and offer us the lease from 1 January 2026, so we can end the uncertainty and begin planning for growth.

Should the lease be confirmed, our planned expansion — a demountable building already under construction — could be completed as early as June 2025. This would deliver an additional 22 care places per day and support more than 40 local families. This expansion is already resourced, and we’re ready to action this immediately, once the lease is confirmed.

We also plan to engage directly with families on our waitlist and in the community to understand your care and early years education needs, including interest in different models. With occupancy of the whole site, we would have the flexibility to run sessional kinder programs alongside integrated services, if there is demand for this.

Your voices will continue to shape our service.

Why awarding the lease to BCEYLC matters

Awarding the lease to BCEYLC will deliver immediate continuity and stability — and it will directly protect the heart of early years care in Beechworth.

BCEYLC is not a struggling service.

We are a financially stable, professionally governed, and deeply trusted community organisation, with a 40-year history of delivering outstanding early years education and care.

Our educators — many of whom have worked with us for 20, even 30 years — are the backbone of our centre. They are not just staff: they are mentors, community builders, and second families to hundreds of Beechworth children.

Throughout this process, staff have shared powerful and heartbreaking reflections on what the centre means to them and the community. We wish to publicly acknowledge and thank our team for their resilience, dedication, and care — not just during this period, but across decades of service.

Awarding the lease to BCEYLC will enable the community to:

  • Retain an experienced, stable local workforce who are deeply embedded in the community

  • Protect affordability for families and reduce cost pressures on the local economy

  • Ensure continuity of care for children, safeguarding their relationships with trusted educators

  • Preserve a long-standing, community-run organisation that has invested heart, time, and resources into Beechworth


Importantly, we have always been committed to continuing operations, retaining our longstanding team, and responding to the growing needs of the community. We will continue to work collaboratively to ensure the next generation of Beechworth children have access to the best start in life.

This moment is an opportunity to choose stability, trust, and community stewardship for the future.

We’re not done yet

While we’re buoyed by ACS’ decision, we remain committed to ensuring the serious issues with the original EOI process are addressed, as they affect decisions across the Indigo Shire more broadly. We continue to advocate for transparency and accountability — not just for our centre, but for all community-run organisations who deserve a fair and respectful process when public assets and services are on the line.

On behalf of our staff, board, and children — thank you. Your solidarity and strength have been extraordinary. We are proud to be part of such a caring, resilient community.

We’ll continue to keep you informed as this process moves ahead. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions or ideas to share.

With gratitude,

The BCEYLC Committee and Staff Team