YWCA CANBERRA

Spence Children's Cottage

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

Vacancies available

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Overview

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.

Fees

Permanent Booking

$155.38 per session

Casual Booking

$158.83 per session

Quality Rating:

Issued March 2021

MP107449
MP107415
MP107420
MP107425
MP107434

All you need to know

Family testimonials

My children have attended for a year so far, and they love it and thrive with the educators at Spence Cottage. It has the perfect mixture of educational and free play activities. Would definitely recommend if you’re thinking about a daycare provider. It is a small centre so feels like I’m dropping my kids off to family. They also have a high retention rate for educators, which I know is an issue at other centres. Such a hidden gem
Spence Children’s Cottage is a beautiful early childhood education & care setting. We consider ourselves very lucky to have gotten a spot for our little ones there. The educators are caring & knowledgeable. The smaller setting & the home-like atmosphere means that children of all ages get the opportunity to interact.
Beautiful little centre - like a family. All the educators are wonderful and have been there a long time. The mixed aged aspect means that siblings don't get split up, older children are very caring and look out for the younger ones and younger children learn very fast from watching and interacting with the older children.

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

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Waitlist Application Forms

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

Chiara Will

Chiara Will is the Director of School Age Care at YWCA Canberra, bringing over 13 years of experience across the early learning and school age care settings. Throughout her career, she has been committed to creating high-quality programs that support children to feel safe, connected, and confident as they learn, play, and grow.

Passionate about child safety and wellbeing, Chiara believes every child has the right to experience environments that are nurturing, inclusive, and responsive to their individual needs. She is a strong advocate for continuity in children’s learning and development, recognising the importance of meaningful partnerships between families, schools, educators, and the broader community in supporting positive outcomes for children.

Chiara is equally passionate about developing and empowering educators. She is committed to mentoring teams, fostering reflective practice, and supporting ongoing professional growth to build confident and capable educators who can make a lasting difference in children’s lives.

Shane McAlpine

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

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.  

Frances Crimmins

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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