Valley Brook preschool teacher Diana, with Maddison, Michelle, Bethany, Brayden and Bryce, has called for Casey Council to asphalt the car park to improve the health and safety of the preschool’s 100 families.By Alison Noonan
ASTHMA sufferers at a Hampton Park preschool are choking on dirt and dust from an unsealed car park.
Staff at Valley Brook Preschool say the crushed rock parking space is causing health and safety concerns for the 100 families that attend the centre.
Preschool Director Diana Salt said the surface had dangerous potholes in winter and suffocating dust in summer.
“Our main concern is the safety of the kids,” Mrs Salt said.
“The present surface of crushed rock is very unsuitable.
“In winter the surface is full of potholes which fill with water. The puddles are dangerous for young children and parents and children often get wet and muddy,” she said.
Mrs Salt said a permanent pool of water greeted visitors outside the front entrance when it rained, with parents often parking randomly to avoid the puddles.
“There are no designated car parking spaces so parents just park anywhere,” she said.
“Some park along the road, which is very dangerous because we are on a corner.
“Others park 20 metres apart and that limits the amount of car parking space available. Parking at pick up and drop off times is just chaos.”
Mrs Salt said parents had been advised of proper parking procedure in preschool newsletters but the problem still continued.
“Parents still do it because they want to drop their kids off on time.
“There are no markings to guide them and I’m certainly not going to stand there and direct them,” she said.
Mrs Salt said the summer created a health hazard for children as dust blew into the classroom and small stones were flicked up by cars.
“We have a large amount of children who suffer from asthma and we have to spend more money on our cleaning bill to make sure surfaces are clean as they are covered in a fine layer of dust,” she said.
“The small stones are kicked up by cars and are dangerous for small children and they scratch other vehicles in the car park.”
Mrs Salt called on Casey Council to act urgently to seal the car park.
“We fear that an accident could happen and we want this done as a matter of urgency,” she said.
River Gum Ward councillor Wayne Smith asked for a report on the possibility of sealing the car park at last week’s council meeting.
He said a meeting had also been arranged this week between council and the preschool’s committee of management to discuss other safety issues, including the need for a safety barrier between the preschool and the car park.
