Fight to save sought-after childcare centre
Families and staff are outraged and heartbroken over plans to demolish a sought-after childcare centre on Sydney’s north shore to make way for more green space.
Non-for-profit community run childcare centre, Kelly’s Place in Crows Nest, has operated for almost 40 years but in December it will be forced to close its doors amid North Sydney Council’s $20 million open space expansion plans for Hume Street Park.
Staff at Kelly's Place have been left devastated by the news that their sought-after childcare centre on Sydney’s north shore will be shut down to make way for more green space. A Current Affair
“Thinking about it fills me with dread and anxiety,” local mum Kim told A Current Affair reporter Erin Ramsay.
“I understand that green spaces are really important but I hope that they can find a better plan for both.”
Kim represents one of the 60 families that are serviced by Kelly’s Place each week with the in-demand centre attracting a waitlist of more than 160 children.
But she is now forced to start looking for new childcare elsewhere for her daughter Penny.
“There’s all the problems in childcare at the moment, and finding a centre that you can trust and has really high standards has been a challenge,” she said.
The council’s plans to bulldoze the site, which already has a public rooftop space covered in grass, to make way for a community park has left the childcare centre’s director of 16 years perplexed.
“Our building was designed specifically to have that space up there, for the community so that it was meeting various needs,” Kelly’s Place Childcare Centre director Katie Newton said.
“Families are gutted, educators are in shock.”
The closure also means 20 staff members will have to find new jobs.
Educator Gemma said news of the closure forced staff to consider leaving the sector altogether, “because there aren’t really any places like Kelly’s Place”.
She has made it her mission to keep across plans for the centre and has attended all council meetings on the matter.
The non-for-profit community run childcare centre has operated for almost 40 years. A Current Affair
“Having been here for 12 years, I’ve seen the progression of conversations with council and being not promised but being told that we would continue to work closely with them to find a solution,” Gemma said.
North Sydney Council said it had been looking for a new site for Kelly’s Place since 2015.
In March this year, the decision was made to shut down the centre instead.
The North Sydney Council told A Current Affair in a statement, “there was never a commitment or guarantee that a replacement site could be secured”.
“In addition, there is currently no identified funding source for the design and construction of a new childcare facility on the site.”
The decision to close the centre has the North Sydney Council facing renewed scrutiny from the community.
It recently came under fire over its $122 million-dollar redevelopment of North Sydney Olympic Pool and a 52 per cent rate hike it announced this week.
More than 3000 supporters have signed a petition calling for the centre to stay open.
For more information, visit here.
Statement by a North Sydney Council Spokesperson:
Council recognises how important Kelly’s Place is to local families and understands that this is a difficult and emotional situation for the children, parents, staff and volunteers who have been part of the centre over many years.
For that reason, Council has spent years working alongside Kelly’s Place to explore relocation opportunities and has extended the lease on multiple occasions to provide additional time to secure an alternative site. Unfortunately, despite those efforts, a suitable location that meets the operational needs of the centre has not been secured.
At the same time, Council has a responsibility to consider the needs of the broader community. The site is required to complete the long-planned expansion of Hume Street Park, a project identified more than a decade ago to address the severe shortage of public open space in the Crows Nest and St Leonards precinct.
With thousands of additional residents expected to live in the area over coming years, and very limited open space available, Council has been required to make a difficult decision that balances the needs of Kelly’s Place families with the long-term needs of the wider community.
This is not a decision Council has taken lightly. It reflects the challenge of meeting competing community needs in one of the most densely populated and rapidly growing parts of Sydney.
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