A new 123-place childcare centre is still weeks away from opening in Dunmore but already has a waiting list months long.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
In a sign of how in demand pre-school services are in the Illawarra as the region grows with young families, Junior Einsteins' third centre is preparing to open in the coming weeks once the final regulator sign off is received.
Jennifer Saville is one of the lucky parents who have been able to secure a place for their child, with three-and-a-half year old Noah already ready to start.
"We have a little schedule at home, so now he knows after dinner it's time to get ready," Mrs Saville said.
"He will pack his bag ready and get ready for bed early and then he said 'In the morning I've got to have breakfast and then I go to school.'"
For Mrs Saville, the move is coming with mixed emotions as she said she'll miss spending time with Noah but is also looking forward to returning to work as a make-up artist.
"You want to keep up your skills because the industry is always changing."
It's a balancing act that will be familiar to many families, with the cost of sending Noah to pre-school roughly even to Mrs Saville's wage, but the value of the education and care that Noah will receive at the centre made it worth it.
Flick through pictures of the childcare centre below:
The opening comes as other centres have to close their doors even as wait lists lengthen and demand skyrockets.
In April, Goodstart Early Learning in Mangerton was forced to shut due to mould, while NSW Health told parents it would be closing the child-care centre attached to Port Kembla Hospital earlier than expected as the hospital is decommissioned.
In 2021, Wollongong was ranked in the top ten of suburbs in NSW by demand for child care by child care search and comparison site Care for Kids.
Co-owner of Junior Einsteins Karina Borg said it was also a challenge to find the 25 staff needed to open the new centre.
"There is a staff shortage in early childhood [education] and I think that comes to a lot of centres' pressures as well," Ms Borg said.
Ms Borg said the provider was able to shuffle staff around between their three sites and hire staff coming back from maternity leave to be able to open but was still looking for more.
In designing the new centre, Ms Borg said she and the other owners, her parents Paul and Georgina Borg, looked to respond to the increased demand for services in the rapidly growing area.
"We're starting from six weeks old and from 6.30am to 6.30pm, so longer hours for families as well."
The centre took six and a half years to realise and incorporated speciality rooms and an outdoor play area in the middle of the centre, rather than having the garden adjacent to the main building.
For Noah, who has already had the chance to check out the rooms and play areas, it's a case of school can't come soon enough.
Ahead of the opening, the centre will be holding an open day this Saturday from 9-11am. Registration is free via Eventbrite.
Our news app has had a makeover, making it faster and giving you access to even more great content. Download The Illawarra Mercury news app in the Apple Store and Google Play.
