Parents who love the idea of nature-based learning, including regular bushwalks on rainforest tracks, are worried about the future of Stanwell Park Preschool.

Renowned for its Bush Kinder program, the preschool has operated out of the Wollongong City Council building at 22-26 Stanwell Ave for almost a decade. On July 7, council advertised a tender for a new 10-year lease and – despite pleas from parents – applications will close on August 7.

“‘Everyone's just very worried that council are going to botch it,” said local dad Andy Evans, who has two children at Stanwell Park Preschool.

“I love this service. My kids love it. The people who run it, I think, do a really good job, and have worked really, really hard to get it to the spot where it's at."

Andy said no other local preschool offers so much time in the outdoors and he’d likely have to travel half an hour to find a similar set-up.

The Stanwell Park father has started a Change.org petition, titled Protect our Children: Stop the Stanwell Park Preschool Tender, which has 259 signatures. Ward 1’s Cr Ryan Morris has been “very supportive” of parents' concerns, said Andy, who also recently took his call to the city’s leaders, speaking at a July council meeting.

Driving all this advocacy is frustration with the bureaucracy that he fears is “putting profits over people”.

Andy's dream is for a community-run not-for-profit preschool that fosters a love for the environment and First Nations culture, pointing to Stanwell Park’s high Yes vote (68.1%) in the Voice referendum.

“There’s obviously a lot of people around who have strong values of supporting Indigenous culture, and want our kids to know about it," he said.

“People live in this area because they like being outdoors and they want to be close to the national parks and in nature. So it just makes sense to be teaching them about the environment.”

Andy wants council to delay the tender by six months, in order to give community members time to put in their own submission.

“That would give us the ability to set up a not-for-profit centre and get it running,” he said.

“The tender process kind of came out of nowhere. We got about two weeks’ notice from council before it hit the market.

“No one's very happy. I think everyone's a bit burned by what happened with the last big tender down here, with the kiosk.”

No kiosk managers have lived up to memories of long-time operators Dora and Leo Constantinou, who retired in 2015. In his petition, Andy writes: “Council awarded a tender to a large external catering company with no connection to the community. The kiosk is now closed and the community is much worse for it.”

‘Actively’ pushed out, claims business owner

Stanwell Park Preschool’s owner and director, Antoinette Holmes, has run the nature-based early learning centre on Stanwell Avenue for nine years and says her business has become “a beloved part of Stanwell Park’s identity”. Now she feels “actively and systematically” pushed out.

“Since Council first informed me of the tender last year, I have followed every process, attended every meeting, submitted every legal and ethical challenge I could,” Antoinette said.

“I have continued to operate the preschool under immense emotional and financial pressure, advocating fiercely for the children and families we serve. The toll has been immense.”

Antoinette told the Illawarra Flame that, due to personal circumstances, she cannot apply for a 10-year lease and has been lobbying for council to stop the tender, negotiate directly and keep the business alive.

“So far, no luck,” said Antoinette, who believes she is being treated “very unfairly”. “I've reported [council] for their conduct throughout the whole process to the ombudsman, I've written to MPs, the mayor, councillors.

“It was on a yearly renewal, and it's been fine for 10 years, all of a sudden, now you have to go to tender, and they won't give me a reason why.”

On top of everything else, Antoinette said she’s recently had to suffer the indignity of open inspections – when would-be competitors walk through her centre, taking photos for their applications.

“Our preschool is now fighting for its very survival,” she said in a last-ditch effort to shine a light on the situation.

Antoinette claims Council has refused to negotiate a short-term lease and the tender’s design puts profit first.

“A full 25% of the tender’s scoring prioritises financial return – not continuity of care, not experience, and not local social value,” she said.

“I'm gutted. This is my life's work, for the last 10 years. I started this up from scratch. The building was sitting there, costing taxpayers money because it wasn’t utilised.

“I’ve created the most wonderful environment and community. We have beautiful relationships with our local nursing home. We have a really exclusive Bush Kinder program. It’s just a really beautiful place, and I feel cheated. I feel like it's been taken away from me, and there's nothing I can do about it.”

10-year lease to give ‘operational stability’

A Wollongong City Council spokesperson told the Illawarra Flame that Stanwell Park Children’s Centre will continue to operate as an early childhood education and care facility, adding that council is committed to “high-quality early learning experiences that support the developmental needs of children and align with national standards”.

Asked why the centre is being put out for tender, the spokesperson said: “The operational stability provided by a 10-year lease enables us to invest in the future of the Centre and continue supporting local families and the broader Stanwell Park community, while providing greater security of tenure than the existing hire agreement.

“As part of our ongoing efforts to meet the evolving needs of the community, the current tender covers the entire Childcare Centre. The Centre was originally purpose-built to accommodate up to 40 childcare spaces. The tender will enable the Centre to function at its full intended capacity and allow for early education and care for birth to 5 years if required.”

As a commercial lease of more than five years on community land, the new 10-year agreement must go to a public tender under the Local Government Act (1993).

“We fully support this transparent process and are committed to meeting all regulatory obligations,” the spokesperson said.

Council confirmed the tender will close on August 7.

“The existing care provider is welcome to tender for the lease,” the spokesperson said. “We have actively engaged with the community through information sessions and surveys with parents to best understand their needs and ensure a seamless continuation of services. This feedback has been included in the Tender documents.”

The new lease is set to run from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2035.

For more information, find the parents’ petition here and council’s tender page here.