A NURSERY in Kidderminster is to shut down tomorrow (Friday, February 26) leaving some staff out of work and parents left to find alternative provision.

Bosses at Co-operative Childcare, based in Coventry Street, confirmed they had made the decision to close the facility due to a lack of youngsters on its books.

Parents and the 22 remaining members of staff, who have all been made redundant, were informed of the company’s decision last month.

The 117-place Co-operative Childcare was opened in 2012 following a £700,000 refurbishment of the former Edward Parry Centre premises, creating 34 jobs.

A spokesman for the company said there were currently only 39 children left on the books, all of whom attended on a part-time basis. He added that 12 of the staff made redundant had found employment at alternative providers.

But some parents criticised the way the company handled the closure, including the placement of a skip outside the building containing equipment from the rooms.

One parent, who did not wish to be named, said: “The closure has been handled poorly by the Co-operative head office.

“Due to the insensitivity shown by upper management, many parents have chosen to pull their children out if nursery the early.”

On Co-operative Childcare’s own Facebook page, Michelle Dallaway said: “Turning up at the Kidderminster nursery was awful - a skip on the premises full of stuff from my son’s room, which has now been closed down!

“The way the closure has been dealt with by you is disgraceful! The poor children and staff have lost their placements and jobs and you should be ashamed of yourself.”

Dionne Stack added: “Kidderminster nursery is closing which has been deeply unsettling but, just to rub that little bit more salt into the wounds, they put a skip at the very front of the building!

“They could not even wait until the nursery closed doors. This closure has been dealt with total and utter insensitivity towards the children’s wellbeing, the staff and the parents.”

A spokesman for The Co-operative Childcare, said: "Although our Kidderminster nursery received positive feedback from parents and Ofsted, it failed to deliver the growth required to sustain the provision, so we have had to make the decision to close the site.

“To ensure parents were fully prepared, we provided information about alternative local childcare providers when we announced the Kidderminster nursery’s closure in January.

“All colleagues were given support to find new jobs, but unfortunately 22 members of staff have subsequently been made redundant, with 12 of those securing jobs in alternative nurseries.

“The decision to close our Kidderminster nursery has not been taken lightly, and we are continuing to work with both parents and colleagues in this period of transition.

“The skip outside of the nursery was required to remove items from closed rooms, but all children’s work has been preserved and given to parents and carers. We’re committed to ensuring that our children’s experiences remain positive prior to the closure this week.”