Devastated by the Omicron outbreak, hundreds of Australia’s childcare centres are being forced to close as the struggling sector pleads for more financial support. The Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority, the federal authority that monitors the sector, revealed that up to 286 centres shut their doors temporarily on Thursday due to a health emergency, Those numbers are even higher than last Thursday when 295 centres temporarily closed in New South Wales, 93 closed in Victoria and 51 in South Australia. This comes after the new senate estimates data showed that 104 childcare centres closed down permanently during the Delta outbreak between Jul. 1 and Nov. 1, 2021, which is almost one per day. Lisa Bryant, an early education consultant, told AAP that COVID-19 is “ripping through” childcare centres. She noted that while centres that close due to COVID-19 can waive families’ gap fees and continue to receive the government …