The City of Sydney is opening three new childcare centres this year, providing 220 much-needed places for children in Alexandria, Darlinghurst and Annandale.
The centres will be run by Australia’s largest early learning provider, Goodstart Early Learning – a not-for-profit social enterprise that provides high quality early education and care for over 71,000 children across Australia.
Lord Mayor Clover Moore said more families were choosing to make their home in the inner city, and the City was committed to supporting them by meeting current and future demand for child care.
“The City is getting on with the job of providing new childcare places, with three new centres expected to open in the second half of this year, and another three in the pipeline,” the Lord Mayor said.
“We are also encouraging the private sector to include new childcare centres in their larger developments.
“There are currently 5,469 childcare places operating in our local government area, including 967 created by the City since 2013. Up to 2,251 additional places have been approved and are being built, or are currently under assessment by our planners.
“If the development of new childcare centres continues on this current trend, we expect local demand for places to be met by 2018.”
A 2013 childcare needs study by the City found there was a shortfall of 3,100 places that year, estimated to climb to a 3,400-place gap by 2016 if action was not taken.
In response, the City committed $55 million for the development of six new centres, with excess funds set aside for future spaces.
The new childcare centres opening in the second half of the year will be located at Bourke Street, Darlinghurst (60 places); Huntley Street, Alexandria (80 places); and The Crescent, Annandale (80 places).
Another centre on Joynton Avenue in Green Square (76 places) is under construction and expected to open in the first half of 2017, while plans for two more childcare centres are currently being developed.
Goodstart Early Learning CEO, Julia Davison, said the addition of three new centres to the Goodstart network would deliver immediate and long-lasting benefits to families in the inner city, giving them greater opportunities to access affordable, quality early learning and care for their children.
“At Goodstart we believe all children should have the best possible start in life. This includes helping children to develop the skills they need in preparation for school and providing them with the ability to navigate an ever-changing world,” Ms Davison said.
“We support children’s learning and development through the embedding of the Early Years Learning Framework, which informs and underpins the educational program and practice in our early learning centres. Children who attend our centres will have access to an education program that will develop their skills and knowledge.
“Goodstart is committed to supporting the inclusion and participation of every child and their family within our early learning centres. We partner with families and the community to support children to reach their full potential.”
Goodstart will provide priority access to children with additional support needs, children from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds and children who speak a language at home other than English.
The centres will also provide affordable places to children from low-income families, and maintain a minimum number of childcare places for the 0–2 year age group and maximum staffing levels to allow for full uptake of places.
The Lord Mayor said the centres would provide quality education for children and support for working parents.
“These much-needed spaces will allow parents and carers to continue working or to take up further study,” the Lord Mayor said.
“Children who attend our centres will have access to an educational program that will develop their skills and knowledge, and help them reach their full potential.”
The City has a long-term commitment to child care, directly operating one long day care centre, one occasional care centre, two pre-schools and six out-of-school-hours care programs. The City also owns and leases an additional 17 childcare centres to the not-for-profit and commercial sectors.
Parents and carers wanting to place their names on waiting lists for the centres at Darlinghurst, Alexandria and Annandale should visit cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/community/community-services/children
Media contacts
City of Sydney – Senior Media Adviser Keeley Irvin Phone 0448 005 718 or email kirvin@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
Lord Mayor Clover Moore – Matt Levinson Phone 0499 319 385 or email mlevinson@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
Goodstart Early Learning – Stakeholder Manager Staice Johns Phone 0455 061 776 or email media@goodstart.org.au