A man and woman have been charged with manslaughter after the death of a three-year-old boy inside a childcare centre minibus in Cairns last week.
Police will allege the boy was collected from a home in Mount Sheridan to attend a Goodstart Early Learning centre last Tuesday morning.
It is further alleged the boy was left inside the minibus unattended for several hours before being found dead at Edmonton after 3:00pm.
The alleged driver of the bus — a 45-year-old Bentley Park man — and a 34-year-old employee from Manunda, who was also on the bus, have been charged with one count each of manslaughter.
They are due to face Cairns Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
In a statement, Goodstart Early Learning said it had stood aside two educators from its Edmonton centre after the charges.
"Both educators were offered counselling and appropriate support after the tragic incident," the statement said.
"We can confirm that we have a senior manager from Goodstart in Cairns who is working closely with the Queensland Police Family Liaison Officer to ensure we do all that we can to support the family of the little boy during this tragic time.
"In addition, we continue to provide counsellors for Goodstart staff and families and we have a team of highly trained trauma specialists in Cairns, working to help parents of children who may have been affected by the events of last Tuesday.
"The teams will be in place for as long as the community requires their support."
Goodstart Edmonton remains closed and the bus services operated to transport children to and from its early learning centres remain suspended.
All children who normally attend Goodstart Edmonton have been offered alternative placements in nearby centres.
Last week, Goodstart suspended its national minibus service after the death, to review its processes and procedures.
