Nido Early School has confirmed it terminated Joshua Dale Brown during his probation period in July 2021 after he worked just 18 days at its Werribee centre. The sacking was due to a breach of internal policies regarding an incident report about a child's behaviour towards another child, not any conduct towards children.
Three months later, in October 2021, Brown began working at Creative Garden early learning centre in Point Cook, owned by G8 Education. Police allege he sexually abused children there between 2022 and 2023.
G8 Education reported Brown's conduct to authorities twice: in April 2023 after he allegedly aggressively handled a child, and in January 2024 after allegations of raising his voice and forcibly grabbing children. Both reports were referred back to G8 for internal action, resulting in a written warning and suspension before Brown resigned.
In July, police charged Brown with over 70 offences relating to eight alleged victims aged five months to two years. They identified 23 childcare centres where he worked from 2017 to 2025, urging parents of approximately 2,000 children to test for sexually transmitted infections, though the risk is said to be low.
The federal education minister, Jason Clare, said the case highlights the need for better national coordination of childcare worker records.
