In December 1996, the Moreland Child Care Futures Project was initiated to utilise funds made available by the Commonwealth Department of Human and Family Services to assist community-managed child care centres to plan for the removal of operational grants and changes to child care fee relief.A report was commissioned to identify strengths and weaknesses, threats and opportunities and to make recommendations aimed to ensure long-term viability of community-based child-care centres within Moreland.One of the key recommendations made was that amalgamation be considered.

A project called Moreland Community Child Care Project was subsequently established in August 1997 and comprised representatives from Brunswick Community Child Care Co-operative (Mitchell Street), Brunswick Turkish Child Care Co-operative (Tinning Street) and Dunstan Reserve Child Care Co-operative who entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to investigate amalgamation.

The recommendation made by the Project Steering Committee was to proceed with an amalgamated structure that could:

• promote the delivery of high quality child-care services
• be economically viable ensuring each centre’s long term viability
• be flexible and responsive to local community needs
• ensure continued community and user accountability

In 1998, each Committee of Management conveyed the recommendation to amalgamate to their members and approval was given to take the final decision to a postal vote as required by the Co-operatives Act 1996 for the merging of co-operatives.The amalgamation was endorsed and the new co-operative incorporated on 10 August 1998.In December 1998 the licences of the three centres were transferred to the Moreland Community Child Care Co-operative.

Moreland Community Child Care Co-operative is a non-profit community oriented group of child-care centres managed centrally in a consultative and cop-operative approach.The centres rely on the involvement of parents and staff in the planning, resourcing and implementation of policy with everyone participating to maintain and improve all services offered.