Plans lodged for new child care centres in Rockhampton, Gladstone

Parents and carers with children on Central Qld child care wait lists will be pleased to know more centres will be opening up around them. See where they are set to be built and those that have recently opened:

New childcare centres proposed for Gladstone and Rockhampton.

Demand for child care is on the rise with new child care developments popping up across Central Queensland.

A number of development applications for new centres have been lodged with local councils across the region, with other child care centres under construction, nearing their opening date or having just opened.

ROCKHAMPTON

NOW OPEN – C & K Parkhurst

The C & K Parkhurst Community Childcare Centre under construction in January 2024.

Rockhampton’s newest child care centre officially opened its doors on June 10 after less than 12 months of construction.

C & K’s Parkhurst Childcare Centre on Mason Ave has the capacity for 136 children aged between six weeks and five years.

The site was formerly owned by Rockhampton-based company Natural Wonders, which bought it in 2020 for $430,000.

Plans for a child care centre were then approved by Rockhampton Regional Council in 2021.

The site changed hands in January 2023 after a Brisbane company purchased the block for $2,035,000.

The C & K centre has eight activity rooms, two each for nursery, toddlers, pre-kindy and kindy.

NOW OPEN - Skippy’s Early Learning Centre

Skippy's Team, Lynley Buckhan, Aliesha Taylor, Penny Farrell (owner) and Rachel Bird getting ready for opening.

Skippy’s Early Learning Centre opened in Yeppoon in July, marking a significant expansion for Skippy’s, founded by Rockhampton local Penny Farrell over 16 years ago.

“We are delighted to bring Skippy’s to Yeppoon,” Ms Farrell said.

“The Capricorn Coast is a vibrant and expanding area, and we recognised the increasing demand for quality child care services among local families.

“We are committed to offering a nurturing and educational environment for children of all ages.”

Skippy’s Early Learning Centre in Yeppoon will operate from 6.30am to 6.30 pm, Monday to Friday, catering to children from 6 weeks old to 12 years.

The campus will feature an approved Kindergarten Program and provide outside of hours after school care and school holiday care programs.

This new facility will offer 115 child care spots and create over 25 jobs in the Yeppoon community.

“Recruitment is one of our biggest challenges, especially in the current Central Queensland job market,” Farrell noted.

“To attract the best talent, we are offering above award wages and conditions, focusing on the wellness and professional development of our team.

“We are a local family business who care about the wellbeing of our staff, and we operate and manage the centres ourselves.”

UNDER CONSTRUCTION – Musgrave St child care centre

Work is underway to build a new child care centre on Musgrave St in Berserker.

Three termite-ridden homes on Kirkellen St were demolished in March to make way for the new facility.

The approved plans dictate the development will be accessed from Queen Elizabeth Drive with a new vehicle crossover to an on-grade 31-space car park.

The facility would support 94 children and employ 15 staff.

The main building faces away from Musgrave Street and has three outdoor play areas.

There are six rooms on the plans for ages zero to three-plus.

There is also a kitchen for the centre to provide its own meals.

PROPOSED – From doctors surgery to child care centre

Plans for a 90-place child care centre at 149 Denham Street, Rockhampton. Renders: Dezign Elements.

Childcare centre developer and owner Tony Ramsey has lodged plans for the redevelopment of 149 Denham Street, Allenstown, the site of Imbina Medical Centre before it moved to Bolsover Street in February last year.

The planning report, submitted to Rockhampton Regional Council by Gideon Town Planning with renders by Dezign Elements, stated the centre would provide care for 90 children from zero to 12 years, and the night care would operate at a reduced capacity.

All outdoor activities would be restricted past 10pm and there would be reduced capacity of 48 children overnight.

The planning report states the existing building would be renovated to establish the new child care centre, keeping the main character front facade.

The Queenslander home, which was built in 1902, had been renovated to suit the doctor’s surgery and sold in August 2023 for $907,500.

The floorplan for the child care centre includes a reception and sign-in area, office and kitchen area, a junior room with a maximum of 20 children, a babies room with a maximum of 12 babies, and a toddlers room with a maximum of 16 children.

An internal staircase would lead up to senior rooms’ one and two, which would have a maximum of 22 children each, along with staff, storage, office and laundry areas.

The centre would also offer meals.

There would be two outdoor areas, one for babies and toddlers and another for junior and senior children, and include undercover and grass areas.

There would be about five full-time staff members and another four to five casuals.

A 12-seater minibus would also operate for pick-up and drop-off service.

GLADSTONE

PROPOSED – First5Years

Plans have been lodged for a new First 5 Years child care centre in the Gladstone region.

A development application was lodged with Gladstone Regional Council on August 9 for a new child care centre to be built on Tank St.

The application was lodged on behalf of F5Y Gladstone Pty Ltd.

According to the planning report the child care centre would be located across from the town swimming pool and the Gladstone recreation precinct.

The development application says the new centre would be able to cater for 139 children and would have more than eight activity rooms.

The planning report says the child care centre would be operational between 6am and 7pm, with the outdoor play areas on the southern side of the development to only be used between 7am and 7pm to mitigate potential noise impacts.

Architectural plans show the child care centre would be two storeys, with four activity rooms on the bottom floor for children aged between zero and three years old.

The upper level would then have an additional four activity rooms for children aged between two and five years old.

According to the planning report the new child care centre would help “address a significant local community, economic and planning need”.

“Overall, demand exceeds supply. With no available child care and centres at full occupancy (with waiting lists) parents are either deferring a return to work after having children, making informal child care arrangements, or going without,” the planning report says.

PROPOSED – Green Leaves

Plans have been lodged for a new Green Leaves child care centre in the Gladstone region.

On August 8 a development application was lodged with council for a proposed Green Leaves Child Care Centre to be built on Ballantine St in Clinton.

According to the development application the proposed facility would be able to cater for up to 98 children.

The architectural plans for the child care centre show the facility would be two storeys, with six activity rooms.

The bottom floor of the centre would have two activity rooms and sleeping spaces for children aged between zero and two years old.

The bottom floor would also have a reception area and kitchen.

On the top floor there would be another four activity rooms for children aged two and over, as well as a staffroom.

The facility as a whole is proposed to have three outdoor play areas.

According to the proposal document the block of land currently has approval for a car wash as part of stage two for a previous development application, which was approved at the same time as a neighbouring fast food facility.

However the planning report states the applicant, at this stage, does not plan to go ahead with the car wash with plans lodged for the child care centre to allow some flexibility on the stage two land use.

PROPOSED – Child care and townhouses in Clinton

Plans have been revealed for a new child care and townhouses to be built at Clinton in Gladstone.

A material change of use application was lodged with Gladstone Regional Council in March to build the child care centre and townhouses over 6 Harvey Rd and 15 Spindrift Rd in Clinton.

According to the planning report the child care centre would have a capacity of 125 places.

If approved the centre would have a maximum staffing of 19 employees, based upon regulatory child to carer ratios, with centre being operating between 6am and 7pm daily.

According to the plans the child care centre would include seven “activity” rooms, three sleep rooms, a multipurpose room and an 885 square metre outdoor play area.

The centre would also include staff amenities such as a kitchen, planning room, and staffroom.

As well as the child care centre, the planning report has renders and details for 13 new townhouses to be built near the centre.

Little Steps Childcare Centre

A child care centre right in the heart of Gladstone is expected to open its doors this year, offering 40 places.

Local not-for-profit Integreat Queensland received seed funding in December for a new Little Steps Childcare Centre on Goondoon St.

The grant for the new centre came from Here for Gladstone a joint initiative of Rio Tinto’s Gladstone operations.

Upon opening the centre will have 40 place availability, with another 20 planned to become available within six months of opening.

It’s hoped by 2025 the new centre will have a total of 80 places.

Originally published as Plans lodged for new child care centres in Rockhampton, Gladstone