YWCA CANBERRA

Spence Children’s Cottage

A home-like, welcoming service where your child can thrive

Spence Children’s Cottage is a home-like 25 place early childhood centre. It has a proud history as a community-focused service and was established with the help of the Women’s Electoral Lobby in 1974. We provide education and care for children age six weeks to five years.

Our flexible learning environments and mixed-age practices are inspired by leading international early childhood education research and innovation. We design our routines and curriculum with consideration to family practices at home, supporting each child’s routine and needs throughout the day. 

Our program has a strong child-led focus. Children attending Spence Cottage are actively involved in creating their learning journey based on their strengths and interests.

Our professional educators are committed to forming strong and meaningful bonds and interactions with each child and family at Spence Cottage.

When you use any of our YWCA Canberra children’s services programs, you help to support our community activities such as our housing programs, community development, youth engagement, and education to prevent domestic and family violence.

To enrol your child, please click the ‘Request to Enrol’ button. 
Learn more about what we provide and how fees are paid.

 

Quality rating issued: March 2021

 

Fees

  • $146.86 per session (permanent booking)
  • $150.12 per session (casual booking)
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We are a small, multi-cultural team, with educators from Australia and around the world.

Our educators have extensive experience in the sector, with most having been at Spence Children’s Cottage for more than five years, and some over 15 years.

All of our educators are passionate about forming and maintaining professional, trusting and caring relationships with each other, our children and our families.

Director: Anusha

Anusha is a passionate and dedicated early childhood educator with over nine years of experience in the sector. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Humanities and Social Science, as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and Care, which has provided her with a strong foundation to support children’s learning and development.

For the past five years, Anusha has proudly worked with YWCA Canberra , where she has continued to grow professionally and contribute to the creation of meaningful learning environments for children. She truly enjoys being part of children’s learning and development journeys, supporting them as they explore, discover, and build confidence in their abilities.
Anusha believes that every child is unique and capable, and she is committed to creating a nurturing, inclusive, and engaging environment that supports curiosity, creativity, and independence. She works closely with her team and families, valuing the knowledge, experience, and strengths that each person brings. Building strong and respectful relationships is at the heart of her practice, ensuring every child feels safe, supported, and a strong sense of belonging.

We are a home-like, 25 place service with two indoor play spaces and a large outdoor play space. Our outdoor area is overhung by a beautiful flowering tree, providing a gorgeous place to play nestled in the suburb.

We spend a lot of time in the garden, especially with our garden bed and lots of DIY pots in the Cottage for children to experience planting. We have a focus on sustainability in our practice and our learning environment.

The educational setup of our service provides opportunities for children to engage in structured mixed-aged learning experiences.

Mixed-age learning and play has significant benefits for children. It allows siblings to interact and gives children opportunities to play and learn from those outside their age group. Older children develop supporting and nurturing behaviours, while the younger ones learn social skills and language, and develop further confidence.

Our routines are designed to progress alongside your child, giving them choice and flexibility, creating happy and calm environments for them to learn, grow and thrive.

Our educators’ relationships with children promote a feeling of belonging to the Cottage family. We provide opportunities for children to have fun while learning and developing to their full potential.

Our programs provide opportunities to foster all aspects of children’s development and gives opportunities for open-ended learning. We support play-based learning, developing children’s skills by focusing on their interests as well as their needs.

We have been part of the Spence community since 1974 and feel strongly about including the community in our practice. Most of our educators have been at the Cottage for many years and have developed a true community with their families.

Waitlist Application

In 2022 YWCA Canberra’s Spence Children’s Cottage won one of the ACT’s Community Garden Grants to fund nine local projects.  

We received $2,228 for our Spence Community Garden, a little farm that we are growing fresh fruit, vegetables, and flowers for children and families in Spence and nearby suburbs. 

A home-like, welcoming service where your child can thrive

Request to Enrol

Waitlist Application Forms

If you would like to fill up on a Waitlist Application Form,
click on which Childhood Service you prefer.

Chiara Will 

Director, School Age Care Services

Chiara is Director of School Age Care at YWCA Canberra, bringing a wealth of knowledge and a diverse range of leadership and management experience across the Early Childhood Education sector. Having held roles from Administration Officer to Centre Director, she brings a holistic skill base and a strength in solution-based approaches to learning. 

Prior to joining YWCA Canberra, Chiara led a team of over 25 educators, driving policy development, professional training and development, and contributing to Quality Improvement, Sustainability, Reconciliation, and Strategic Inclusion Action Plans. 

In her current role, Chiara leads the strategic development of processes and systems that ensure high-quality, safe, and inclusive environments for children. She mentors and empowers managers, leaders, and educators to deliver best-practice programs aligned with regulatory standards, fosters strong stakeholder partnerships, and guides the Quality Support Team in managing compliance and quality assurance across services. 

Shane McAlpine 

Director, Children’s Services

Shane is Director of Children’s Services (ECEC) at YWCA Canberra, overseeing eight early learning services with 24 years of experience in the early childhood sector. He brings an extensive understanding of education and care, current practices, and regulatory requirements, with a robust approach to developing high-quality practitioners. 

Shane supports the day-to-day operation of educational practices and curriculum across all our early learning centres, with quality and pedagogical practice at the forefront. He plays a critical role in providing escalation support and mentorship to centre directors and educators alike. 

His professional passions include children’s rights, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander inclusion and teaching perspectives, and advocacy for the early childhood profession. He is an active representative on the ACT committee of Early Childhood Australia. 

As a father of two children who have experienced the early years system firsthand, Shane brings a deeply personal understanding of the challenges families face in balancing work and parenting. This perspective shapes his inclusive, stakeholder-centred approach to service delivery across every centre he works with. 

Katherine Hellwig 

Executive Director of Children’s Services  

Katherine is the Executive Director of Children’s Services at YWCA Canberra, bringing over 23 years of extensive experience in delivering education and care in ACT and the surrounding areas of the city. Her career spans both not-for-profit and commercial providers, highlighting her versatile and adaptable nature. 

For over 11 years, Katherine has held an executive role within a not-for-profit organisation that experienced significant growth in its early education and care portfolio. Her responsibilities included managing programs and initiatives that fostered engagement within the local community. 

Katherine began her career as an educator, and this hands-on experience has given her a profound understanding of the critical role educators play in the lives of children and families. Her qualifications include an Advanced Diploma of Children’s Services, an Undergraduate Certificate in Service Management, and a Diploma of Leadership and Management. In 2018, Katherine was honoured with the Community for Children’s Award by the ACT Children’s Week Committee, recognising her dedication and impact on the community.  

Katherine is driven by a strong pedagogical belief that all children have the right to access quality early learning in their first five years of life. She focuses on delivering high-quality education and care in both early education and after school care programs, ensuring children receive the best start in life.  

Cara Jacobs 

Chief Operations Officer  

Cara is Chief Operating Officer at YWCA Canberra, bringing nearly three decades of diverse community services experience. Previously serving as Executive Director Community Services at YWCA Canberra, her expertise spans an extensive range of program areas including Community Development, Domestic Violence Specialist Services, Family Law, Emergency Relief, Specialist Homelessness Services, Community Housing and many more. 

Passionate about social justice, equity, and inclusion, Cara has a strong track record in designing and delivering quality services, managing multidisciplinary teams, achieving accreditation, and securing significant tenders and grants. She currently chairs the Joint Pathways Network, providing strategic advice to the Minister for Homelessness. 

Her previous leadership roles include Director of Client Services at Marymead, Senior Manager at the Australian National University, CEO of Anglicare Western NSW, Manager Community Programs at Centacare Bathurst, and Regional Manager at Interact Injury Management. 

Cara holds a Master of Management Studies with First Class Honours, postgraduate qualifications in International Business Management, Strategic Management and Marketing, an Advanced Diploma in Community Sector Management, and a recently completed Master of Social Work. She is also a Quality Assurance Internal Auditor (ISO 9001) and has completed AICD Company Directors and Governing for Vulnerable People courses

Frances Crimmins 

Chief Executive Officer  

 Frances Crimmins is the Chief Executive Officer of YWCA Canberra and has led the organisation since 2013, driving significant growth, high-quality integrated service delivery, and stronger corporate efficiency. Under her leadership, the non-profit organisation has become a courageous community advocate, ensuring the needs of vulnerable communities are seen, heard, and addressed locally and nationally. 

Frances brings a diverse background spanning the private and not-for-profit sectors across business, hospitality, healthcare, and community services. She remains a passionate advocate for policy initiatives addressing the root causes of women’s housing insecurity, homelessness, gender inequality, and gender-based violence. 

Frances also currently serves as Chair of Homelessness Australia and sits on the ACT Work Health Safety Advisory Council. Her former board roles include ACT Council of Social Service (ACTCOSS), WESNET, the ACT Ministerial Advisory Committee for Women, and Co-Chair of Anti-Poverty Week in the ACT. 

Her leadership has been recognised with an Edna Ryan Award (2015), ACT Leader of the Year at the Australian Leadership Excellence Awards (2016), and selection into the inaugural Social Impact Leadership Australia (SILA) program (2021). Frances regularly represents YWCA Canberra at the United Nations Commission for the Status of Women in New York. 

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