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Parents fighting to stop Griffith University closing its two childcare facilities at Nathan by Christmas are breathing sighs of relief as the university has reversed its decision.
In an email sent to parents shortly before 11am on Friday, chief operating officer Peter Bryant said the university had given “serious consideration” to its proposal to close the Boronia and Tallowwood childcare centres for renovations by December 19, and resolved to keep them open.
“We will try to do the required renovation work during 2026 in a way that avoids any extended service disruptions,” the email read.
Griffith University reversed its decision to shut down its Nathan childcare centres before Christmas.Credit: Griffith University
“If we find that this can’t be achieved, we will seek to delay any extended closure until early 2027.”
Community group organiser Courtney Tuck, who has one child in daycare and another in kindergarten classes at the centres, said she had “tears in her eyes” when she received the news.
“As I read it, I felt like I was taking the first real breaths I was taking in a week,” Tuck said.
“We’ve had our heads down trying to really fight this, it was until that relief came through that I can really feel how stressful that week was.
“We’ve been racing the clock here.”
Griffith University announced on October 16 it was planning to close the centres by December 17, with staff remaining on-site until December 19.
The university told staff and parents the buildings needed extensive renovations, and would need to remain closed until about mid-2026.
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A spokesperson told this masthead the university had been in talks with a private service provider, who would oversee renovations after the closure, then manage the centre.
Parents of the roughly 100 children at the kindergarten and childcare centres said they were left scrambling with the short notice, and many had been unable to speak out as they were also Griffith staff members.
Tuck said the closure would have forced her son to begin prep classes earlier than anticipated.
“The only ideal outcome was to spend another year at Boronia,” she said.
“My son now gets a much better chance to engage with his early education before going onwards [to] build that love of learning.”
Bryant last week met directly with parents at a meeting between the university, member for Mansfield Corrine McMillan, and representatives of Yarranlea Primary School, which sits on the now-defunct Griffith Mount Gravatt campus.
Griffith executives also organised to meet with parents on Friday evening in the CBD.
“Now we can go in and … have a real discussion, a really productive discussion [tonight],” Tuck said.
“While we still have a lot of questions about what will happen, the staff aren’t going to lose their jobs by Christmas now, we don’t have to find alternative care, [and] we can all breathe a bit easier now.”
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