On June 12, the University announced its plan to close four community-based childcare centres on campus, due to lead paint and asbestos contaminations. In their place, the University announced it has invested $8 million into constructing two new purpose-built facilities.

The announcement was initially met with concern from impacted families, over the fear of a more expensive commercial childcare. However, an agreement has now been reached between the University and the existing childcare providers to ensure the centres remain volunteer-led. 

The current childcare centres on campus include University Preschool and Childcare Centre (UPCCC), Heritage Early Childhood Centre, Cubby House on Campus and Acton Early Child Care. These childcare centres are housed in four heritage-listed cottages across campus. The University has undertaken a series of modifications to the properties in recent years to mitigate the presence of lead paint and asbestos.

In an email to students, ANU’s Chief Operating Officer, Jonathan Churchill, noted that, “the buildings have aged significantly” meaning that “making the necessary modifications to meet sustainable and safe childcare standards would require changes that would breach heritage preservation regulations.” 

He continued, “in the last year alone, the University has performed more than 240 repair jobs, at a cost of almost $1 million, including the remediation of lead paint. These ongoing repairs disrupt the provision of high-quality childcare.” 

Churchill emphasised that while the University has “carefully monitored and continuously managed” the risk of contamination, “[t]he buildings are also showing their age and will in the coming months require closure to carry out hail remediation work that is becoming increasingly necessary.” 

For these reasons, the heritage-listed cottages are not a “viable, long-term option for childcare arrangements on [ANU] campus”, Churchill stated. 

The $8 million would fund two “new, long-term [and] safe” childcare centres. It remains unclear where these new centres will be located, and what their revised names will be. However, agreements between the university and The Australian National University (ANU), University Preschool Child Care Centre (UPCCC) and Heritage Early Childhood Centre (HECC) are now being compiled for execution which will see UPCCC and HECC remain on campus and begin operations in two new, purpose-built, high-quality childcare facilities from January 2025. 

A University spokesperson spoke to Woroni, “ANU wants childcare on the campus to be excellent and sustainable.” They emphasised that “[the] University has a long and proud history of providing our staff and students with access to childcare on our campus.”

“[We] want the families, the staff in the centres, and the children who spend their days in care at ANU, to have modern and excellent facilities.”

However, the impacted childcare centres and families criticised the University’s decision to close the volunteer-led centres without prior consultation. A petition calling on the University to “save ANU community-based childcare centres” gathered over 5,000 signatures. 

In a joint-statement, the childcare providers and families expressed their “outrage” regarding the decision, noting that “the university’s actions… fail to reflect the behaviour of a responsible institution.” 

Particular concern was raised about the University’s decision to invite commercial proposals for the new childcare centres. 

“This process will disadvantage those smaller parent-led, not-for-profit centres when asked to compete with large commercial providers.” Of these providers includes long-standing childcare centre, UPCCC, which has been “run by committees of parent volunteers and known to retain qualified and longstanding staff” for over 55 years. 

The University spokesperson emphasised that ANU’s “decisions are about [the] buildings, we have nothing but praise for the staff in the centres and the work they do.”

“ANU is committed to providing our staff and students access to convenient, safe and sustainable childcare on the ANU campus”, the spokesperson said. 

The University Spokesperson has informed Woroni that ANU has since entered “exclusively in negotiations with two of the existing providers to operate the two new facilities from January 2025.” These providers include UPCCC and Heritage. 

A joint statement released by the University, UPCCC, Acton Early Child Care and Cubby House on Campus announced that “any tender process for the provision of childcare in the new facilities [is deferred] while discussions with UPCCC and Heritage progress.”  

UPCCC and Heritage have both bid to provide childcare services in the new facilities from January 2025. The statement further notes that “[both] proposals have also received letters of support from Acton Early Childhood Centre (AECC) and Cubby House on Campus.”

However, on the 30 of July, the University announced that the agreement with UPCC and Heritage “for the provision of high-quality childcare in two new-facilities on… campus” is now finalised and that the tender process “will not proceed.” 

According to the announcement, “[the] centres will now start working with families and staff across our four community-based childcare centres on transition arrangements.”