How much would you pay for your child's art?
That's the question one Australian kindergarten posed to dozens of families this week when it asked them to stump up A$2,200 (£1,000; $1,400) for the pleasure of taking home a curated portfolio of their child's artwork.
The folders included many a random blob and splodge, alongside happy snaps of the would-be Picassos making creations only a parent could love.
Billed as a fundraiser, the debt-ridden centre said the money from the portfolios would go towards whittling down a long list of overdue bills, including unpaid wages for educators.
Craigslea Community Kindergarten and Preschool in Brisbane closed last month after funding was halted amid an investigation into claims about its governance.
Its obscure request, however, has sparked anger in Queensland, with the state's leader calling it emotional blackmail, regulators staging an intervention, and one parent allegedly going to extreme lengths to take back their child's collection of artworks in the middle of the night.
The controversy has been months in the making - tensions between management and parents at the kindergarten centre have been steadily brewing. The centre, affiliated with a larger childcare provider, faced numerous grievances leading to the resignation of its management committee last month.
On Sunday night, the inboxes of the families pinged with an email revealing a plan to sell the children's art portfolios. This unexpected plan caught parents off guard, with some meeting it with disbelief and anger.
Queensland's Premier criticized the act as un-Australian while the Department of Education stepped in to assure parents that they had rights to their children's artworks. Following public backlash, the Department confirmed that all portfolios would be returned to the families without any charges.
For these parents, their children's art is now both priceless and free.
