Childcare chain Shared Beginnings enters administration, spotlighting private-credit risks

Shared Beginnings, a for-profit childcare provider operating seven sites in Queensland, Victoria and the ACT, entered administration on Monday after its owner Finexia Financial Group disclosed that the centres were running at a loss. Finexia, which took control of the chain in the 2025 financial year following the default of former owner Genius Education, said the decision came after exhausting all alternatives and pledged to honour staff entitlements while administrators keep the centres open.

Administrators Bill Karageozis and Nick Keramos have been tasked with finding suitable buyers for locations including Sinnamon Park, Kenmore, Reservoir, Mont Albert, Beaumaris, Bonython and Conder. The collapse underscores growing concerns about private-credit exposure in the childcare sector, prompting ASIC to closely monitor the lightly regulated market. A recent Early Learning and Care Council Australia report noted that 152 long-daycare services have closed since 2024, with many more at risk, and former national children’s commissioner Anne Hollonds warned that for-profit providers are pulling out of the sector.