A much-loved community-run childcare centre in Crows Nest is fighting to stay open, with families warning the area risks losing not just childcare places, but a trusted local service that has supported children and parents for nearly 40 years.
Kelly’s Place Children’s Centre, located on the corner of Hume and Clarke Streets in Crows Nest, has been part of the Lower North Shore community since 1988.
It is a not-for-profit, community-run childcare centre shaped by a parent management committee. In simple terms, it is the kind of place families hope to find when they are looking for care for their children. It is local, trusted, community-minded and focused on children rather than shareholder returns.
Kelly’s Place is now facing closure in December 2026 to make way for the NSW Government and North Sydney Council’s Hume Street Park expansion.
The centre is not asking for the park upgrade to stop. It is asking to be included in the solution.
Can The Park And The Childcare Centre Coexist?
Kelly’s Place says it believes there is a practical alternative that would allow the centre to remain while still delivering improvements to the surrounding park.
One of the key points raised by the centre is that the existing childcare building includes a grass-covered rooftop, which already provides usable green open space. The centre says this means there may be a way to protect both open space and a long-standing community service.
The current proposal would see the childcare centre demolished as part of the Hume Street Park expansion.
According to information provided to In the Cove, the project has been approved for $9.63 million in taxpayer funding.
Kelly’s Place says the centre has approximately 350 sqm of external playground space with private access and internal building space underneath the grass-covered rooftop.
This is why families and supporters are asking a very simple question: in a rapidly growing area that needs both open space and childcare, can a better outcome be found?
A Community Service Families Rely On
Kelly’s Place holds an “Exceeding” rating under the National Quality Standard and has built a strong reputation for providing safe, high-quality childcare.
For many families, centres like this are more than a place to drop children off while parents go to work. They become part of family life. They are where children make their first little friendships, where parents find support and where educators become familiar, trusted faces during some of the most important years of a child’s development.
That is why this story has clearly struck a nerve.
Kelly’s Place says more than 3,000 people have signed a petition supporting the centre and more than 130 residents attended a North Sydney Council meeting in March 2026 in support of its future.
The issue has also received wider media attention, including ABC coverage about parent outrage over the planned demolition of the community-led childcare centre.
Parents Say Centres Like Kelly’s Place Are Hard To Replace
Parents have told Kelly’s Place that the centre provides a level of trust and connection that is difficult to find.
Ben Worrall, a doctor at RPA Randwick and parent of a two-year-old child at Kelly’s Place, said families value the independent, community-run model.
“We feel safer knowing our son is at an independent, community-run centre like Kelly’s Place with better staff ratios, lower staff turnover and an established record of safety and care. Once they are gone, centres like Kelly’s Place will be impossible to replace,” he said.
Risa Konno, a parent of two children aged three and one, said Kelly’s Place had given her family a support network.
“Kelly’s Place has given me a support network and sense of community that goes far beyond childcare. Removing it would take away something truly special,” she said.
A Parent And Early Childhood Teacher Raises Concerns
In a message to In the Cove, Cammeray resident Emily Speirs said she is both a parent at Kelly’s Place and an early childhood teacher in a community-based preschool.
She said the story is important because “the future for all community based preschools is so uncertain.”
Emily also raised concerns about North Sydney Council’s handling of the matter.
“North Sydney Council’s handling of this matter, especially that of Mayor Zoe Baker is so underwhelming. Our community are being sidelined for some hidden priority and the lack of transparency from council is really troubling,” she said.
Her message reflects what many families have been saying throughout this debate: this is not just about one building. It is about how communities are included in decisions that affect essential local services.
A Growing Area Needs More Than One Thing
No one is arguing that open space is not important.
Crows Nest and St Leonards are growing quickly, with more apartments, more families and more pressure on local infrastructure. Parks matter. So does childcare.
That is why the Kelly’s Place issue feels so frustrating for many families. It is being framed as though the community must choose between green space and childcare, when the centre believes there may be a way to protect both.
North Sydney Council has acknowledged in its own strategies that more childcare places are needed to support population growth. Kelly’s Place says removing a long-standing community childcare centre moves in the opposite direction.
With ongoing concerns about childcare affordability, accessibility and quality across parts of the sector, Kelly’s Place says its model is focused on quality education and care for children rather than returns for shareholders.
Without a viable solution, families say the community risks losing a valued and trusted service.
Calls For A Better Outcome
Member for Willoughby Tim James has also raised concerns about the project.
“State funding intended to improve infrastructure and amenity in the rapidly growing Crows Nest should not be used to bulldoze a vital community service. State funding should deliver a net increase in infrastructure and services for growing communities, not demolish one to make way for another. That is just common sense,” he said.
Katie Newton, Director of Kelly’s Place Children’s Centre, said the proposed closure would have a devastating impact.
“This closure would have a devastating impact for the children and families who depend on this service every day, as well as on the dedicated educators who have committed so much to this community. Kelly’s Place is more than just a childcare service. It is a vital part of the local community and now that’s potentially being taken away, not because it isn’t working, but to replace it with something that largely already exists. We’re not asking for the park upgrade to stop. We’re simply asking to be part of the solution so families don’t lose a service they depend on every single day,” she said.
Katie said Kelly’s Place is ready to work with the NSW Government and North Sydney Council.
“We’re ready to work with the NSW Government and North Sydney Council to find a solution that protects both green space and the childcare families rely on. Kelly’s Place plays an essential role in the lives of local families, and we will continue to advocate strongly for its future,” she said.
The community is now calling on North Sydney Council and the NSW Government to work with Kelly’s Place to find a fair outcome that protects both valuable green space and essential childcare services for local families.
In the Cove has contacted North Sydney Council for comment.
If you are an affected Kelly’s Place family, a former family, an early childhood educator or have information to share, please contact In the Cove.
