It is a growth industry in a growth area, says Peter Sarroff, from Tony Cant Real Estate.

“Without knowing individual circumstances (at the centres), I think you’ll find some private groups will try to buy them,” he said.

“I think some Sydney groups may be interested.”

He said these businesses were up and running and “we all know the time it takes to get a business going”.

Early Childhood Australia’s website shows there are 19 child-care centres between Beresfield and Rutherford, seven of which are ABC Learning centres.

They are at Thornton East, Ashtonfield, Rutherford, Beresfield, Largs, Aberglasslyn and Metford.

Enrolments at six of these, excluding Metford, total 308, with a total staff of 55 at the seven centres.

A spokeswoman on child care for the Miscellaneous Workers Union, Rebecca Reilly, said her union was in talks with the Federal Government to ensure a future for the ABC centres.

“We should remember this is not just about the economy; we are talking about children,” she said.

A child-care worker, who asked not to be named, said Maitland would be particularly hard hit by the closure of any centres.

“There are so many people here who have moved from other areas and they don’t have families or others they can rely on for help,” she said.

“Many of the kids in care here have working mums and dads, and there is nowhere else for the kids to go.”

Other centres had reported increasing inquiries since news broke that ABC Learning had gone into receivership.

Placement co-ordinator Jenelle Ycas, at Maitland Family Day Care in Metford, said it was hard to put a figure on how many had been inquiring.

“Many of our parents have children a couple of days here and a couple somewhere else, so they are asking about extra days,” she said.

It was impossible to gauge if there are any vacancies in the Maitland area. Websites invite registration, but give no indication of vacancies or waiting times.